Category Archives: Her Divorce Source.. with Leah

Has divorce become a reality? If you have questions about your new life, you’re in the right place! Her Divorce Source with Leah is the go-to podcast for women before, during, and after a divorce. Leah Jones is a Certified Financial Divorce Analyst at Hightower Bethesda, she helps you create a life that’s full of possibilities, empowerment, and freedom. She’ll tackle your biggest questions about lifestyle and money, giving you practical guidance you can use right away.

Divorcing A Narcissist With Allison Dagney (Ep. 2)

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Divorce is never easy, but divorcing a narcissist poses additional challenges and things you need to be aware of as you make your way through the process.

In this episode, Leah Jones is joined by Allison Dagney, an alias used to protect both her and her children, is the author of When Tears Leave Scars. Allison joins the podcast to share about her experience dealing with emotional abuse and how she managed to escape a traumatic marriage.

Allison discusses:

  • The concept of love bombing
  • Signs that you are in a relationship with a narcissist 
  • Why planning was key to getting out of her traumatic marriage
  • Why reaching out to a financial professional can help women with divorce where their partner controls the money
  • How Allison handled the divorce while managing her kids wellbeing
  • And more

Resources: 

When Tears Leave Scars – By Allison Dagney

Connect With Leah:

About Our Guest:

Allison Dagney lives in the midwest of the United States with her three children and their beloved  rescue dog. Allison never aspired to be an author, but her love of writing paired with an inspirational story, was the perfect recipe to expose hidden emotional abuse. In this gripping true life story, Allison aims to shed light into the darkest areas of abusive relationships while giving victims of abuse a beacon of hope and a roadmap for healing.

 

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Meet Leah Jones, CFA, CFP®, CDFA®, AEP® (Ep. 1)

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In general, people make bad financial decisions based on emotions. Divorce is one of the most emotionally taxing experiences someone can go through, and often, your finances may suffer at the hands of your emotions.

Welcome to Her Divorce Source with Leah Jones, CDFA®! 

In this episode, get to know host Leah Jones, Certified Divorce Financial Analyst®. She shares details about why chooses to help divorcing women manage their finances and investments, and how education plays a big role in the work she does.

Leah discusses:

  • How she got into her role working with divorcing women
  • Who she works with (her ideal client) and why she chooses to work with them
  • What she does for her clients
  • Why education is big component of the work she does
  • And more

Resources: 

Connect With Leah:

 

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BONUS EPISODE: The Process of Pension Property Division During Divorce for Federal Employees

Her Divorce Source.. with Leah

This episode was previously released in 2020, but we wanted to rerelease this episode coinciding with Jessica Markham’s book release of, Representing Federal Employees and Their Spouses, a Practical Guide.

Meet Jessica Markham, a family lawyer that practices in Maryland and Washington DC. She has many honors and awards to her and her firm’s credit including best lawyer in America and the best divorce attorney in the Bethesda area. She started her law firm about 5 years ago and is often sort after by federal employees going through a divorce.

In this episode of the Hightower Bethesda Divorce Series, Jessica joins Sarah as they scrap the surfaces of nuances of being a Federal employee going through a divorce. She’s best suited for this topic since she is in the process of publishing a 600-page book on the topic.

Listen in to learn different factors that apply when it comes to the division of pension property for federal employees during a divorce.

What you will learn:

  • Factors to consider when dividing in a divorce for federal employees.
  • What portions of the annuity is the spouse entitled to?
  • The legal formulas that are used to divide pension property- what it means and how other properties impact that.
  • Jessica explains how long a couple has to be married for the pension law to apply.
  • Why this law applies to govt employees that are living but don’t have to be working.
  • She explains in math how much a spouse or a surviving spouse gets in pension benefits.
  • How to understand and negotiate the survivor benefits and who pays the cost of it.
  • What is remarriage restructuring? How does it work in survivor benefits and pension law?
  • How different types of social securities affect the pension and why you have to keep these in mind when negotiating.
  • Why you need to think about the cost of living adjustments and supplemental annuity.

Our Contacts:

Website: http://bethesda.hightoweradvisors.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hightowerbethesda/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HightowerBethesda/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LeahPlans4You

Guest’s Contacts:

Website: https://www.markhamlegal.com/jessicamarkham

Book: https://www.representingfederalemployees.com/aboutthebook

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BONUS EPISODE: Military Divorce with Kate Reese

Her Divorce Source.. with Leah

In this episode, Leah Jones, Director of Financial Planning for Hightower Bethesda, speaks with Kate Reese about military divorce, addressing anyone who is considering or going through a divorce that includes someone who is or has been a member of the military. They discuss things to consider such as the documents and resources you’ll need to collect and how to approach the division of assets.

“You just pick your battles. Run the numbers and see what the numbers look like… It’s just a choice that you have to make. Just need to be informed and it’s got to have the tax component considered.” -Kate Reese [28:59]

What You Will Learn:

  • Meet Kate
  • Who the podcast refers to in regards to military divorce
  • Documents and resources needed to collect
  • Military pension benefits and other income considerations
  • Ways to think about dividing assets
  • Steps to finalize everything
  • Other things to know and consider
  • How to contact Kate

Our Contacts:

Website: bethesda.hightoweradvisors.com

LinkedIn: Hightower Bethesda

Facebook: HightowerBethesda

Twitter: @LeahPlans4You

Guest’s Contacts:

Website: reeselawoffice.com

Phone number: (703) 279-5140

Email: kate@reese.law

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BONUS EPISODE: Financial Implications During A Divorce When the Woman is the Primary Bread Winner with Heather Hostetter

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Meet Heather Hostetter, she is a family law attorney located in Bethesda Maryland with a long list of awards and a partner at Hostetter Strent. This is a domestic relations law that deals with divorce, property distribution, alimony, custody, and child support.

In this episode, Leah speaks with Heather about the process of property distribution during a divorce primarily with alimony and child support when the woman is the main breadwinner.

Listen in to learn the difference between alimony and child support and why they both exist. You will also learn why as a woman; you need to think hard before entering a legal marriage and what to consider before and during the marriage in terms of finances and support.

What you will learn:

  • The factors that come into play before the court awards alimony during a divorce and the types that exist.
  • She explains why it’s difficult for the fault to play part in alimony.
  • The factors that determine how the length of the marriage affects the alimony.
  • The difference between paying alimony and child support and how women breadwinners react to it.
  • She explains the legal consequences of an ending marriage and understanding them beforehand.
  • The alimony negotiations process and what the court has the power to do and not do.
  • How both women and men react to the issue of alimony during a divorce.
  • How child support is calculated and its relationship to alimony.
  • She explains how the child support money is divided to make sure it caters to children.
  • The importance of having a conversation before and during a marriage about the roles of both partners.
  • The purpose of thinking hard as a woman before getting married and understanding the consequences and whether you can live with them.

Our Contacts:

Website: http://bethesda.hightoweradvisors.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hightowerbethesda/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HightowerBethesda/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/HighTowerBethsd

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BONUS EPISODE: Is Amicable Divorce Possible w/ Regina DeMeo

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In this episode, Leah Jones, Director of Financial Planning for Hightower Bethesda, talks to Regina DeMeo, a family law attorney. Regina has worked with family law issues for 22 years, serving her clients to make divorce easier and more cost-effective as they work towards a resolution. She shares what an amicable divorce looks like and the difference between mediation and a collaborative approach. She also discusses how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the process.

“If you can’t sit in that meeting and sort of have a clear mind, you shouldn’t be making legal decisions that are going to impact the rest of your life or the rest of your kids’ lives. Someone’s really got to be in a good emotional place and have a pretty good understanding of the issues that we’re about to discuss.” -Regina DeMeo

What You Will Learn:

  • If it possible to have an amicable divorce
  • What does an amicable divorce looks like
  • Mediation vs collaborative approach
  • The difference in costs
  • How the COVID-19 pandemic affects divorce process
  • Why you should look at divorce as an investment and preversing good will

Our Contacts:

Website: http://bethesda.hightoweradvisors.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hightowerbethesda/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HightowerBethesda/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LeahPlans4You

Resources:

Visit our website: https://bethesda.hightoweradvisors.com

Visit Regina DeMeo’s website: https://www.reginademeo.com/

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BONUS EPISODE: Financial Literacy and Transparency in Marriage and Divorce

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Meet Meg McKenny, the former founding partner of Delaney McKinney and recently founded McKinney Figini. She has over 27 years of experience practicing family law and is sought after for her negotiations, trial skills, and has made integrity and reliability central facets of her legal practice.

In this episode, Leah is joined by Meg McKinney as she explores the topic of financial literacy and transparency in marriage and divorce. She dives deep into the process she as a family lawyer takes couples through to educate them on how to manage their financial situations.

Listen in to learn the importance of having an open mind when considering a prenup agreement before marriage. You will also learn how divorce law works in the state of Maryland.

What you will learn:

  • How she helps couples understand their financial situation during a divorce process- how the now and the future looks like for their finances.
  • How a client’s tax return shows their financial situation and the process that follows after examining it.
  • She describes the interview she conducts with clients to determine their financial literacy and why they need to get their own credit report.
  • The red flags that show a lack of financial transparency with a client.
  • The importance of financial literacy in marriage and ways in which people hide money with or without leaving footprints.
  • The difficulty of splitting income when supporting two households.
  • The importance of understanding your partner’s financial goals and expectations in marriage through a prenup- making sure you’re reading on the same page.
  • Divorce law in Maryland- understanding how credit card debt and business ownership works.
  • Meg shares her two favorite books that offer help with marriage and relationship management.

Books Mentioned:

  • The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work- John M. Gottman
  • Marriageology: The Art and Science of Staying Together- Belinda Luscombe

Our Contacts:

Website: http://bethesda.hightoweradvisors.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hightowerbethesda/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HightowerBethesda/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LeahPlans4You

Relevant Links:

Website: https://www.mckinneyfigini.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/margaret-mckinney-26111813/

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