Divorce can feel overwhelming, especially when emotions and financial uncertainty collide.

How do you make clear decisions when everything feels uncertain? And how can the right guidance help you avoid costly mistakes along the way?

In this episode, I sit down with Carolyn Daly, Managing Partner at Cohen Seglias, to talk through how women can approach divorce with clarity and structure. We cover the importance of understanding your assets, avoiding emotional decisions, and working with the right professionals early. Carolyn also shares how alternative processes like mediation can reduce stress and costs, along with practical ways to move forward with confidence and protect your financial future.

Key takeaways:

• Why understanding all assets early helps avoid confusion and poor decisions during divorce settlements
• How emotional attachment to the house can lead to long-term financial strain and missed opportunities
• The importance of reviewing tax implications, especially capital gains, when dividing investment assets
• Why delays in the process often increase stress, conflict, and overall costs for both parties
• How mediation and arbitration can offer more control, reduce conflict, and speed up resolution timelines
• And more!

Resources:

• Get Your FREE Simply Retirement Roadmap

Connect with Eric Blake:

• www.TheSimplyRetirementPodcast.com
• Join the Simply Retirement Newsletter
• Ask a Question or Suggest a Topic for the Podcast
• Blake Wealth Management
• YouTube

Connect with Carolyn Daly:

• (973) 474-5003
• LinkedIn: Carolyn Daly
• Website: Cohen Seglias
• Email: cdaly@cohenseglias.com

About our Guest:

Carolyn Daly is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and Seton Hall University School of Law. She is admitted to practice in both New Jersey and New York, with a primary focus on New Jersey, and is certified by the Supreme Court of New Jersey as a Matrimonial Law Attorney.

She is a fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers and previously served as president of the New Jersey Chapter. Carolyn is an active member of the New Jersey State Bar Association, including its Family Law Section and Family Law Executive Committee. She also serves on the New Jersey Courts’ Supreme Court Family Practice Committee.

Her professional involvement extends into the community, where she volunteers with the battered women’s legal assistance project. She has also contributed to the Morris County Child Support Partnership Committee, participated in a domestic violence task force, and supported the Morris Family Justice Center.

Carolyn has written for the New Jersey Family Lawyer, including an article titled “College Contribution: A Contrarian View,” and contributed a chapter titled “What To Do When Your Spouse Says “I’m Out of Here!” to a book focused on navigating financial crises.

Her practice is centered on family law matters, including divorce, custody, domestic violence, grandparents’ rights, and non-dissolution issues. She is also a trained mediator and an AAML-certified arbitrator.

Most people think tax season ends when the return is filed, but that may be where the real opportunity begins.

What if your tax return could guide smarter financial decisions instead of sitting untouched for a year?

In this episode, I explain how your tax return can become a valuable planning tool instead of something you file away. I walk through how to review your return for accuracy, compare it year to year, and identify missed items that could impact your taxes.

We also share how understanding key numbers like income and tax rates can shape better decisions, and how building a “base case” early in the year helps you plan ahead and avoid last-minute tax surprises.

Key takeaways:

• Why reviewing your tax return after filing can uncover missed details and potential savings opportunities
• How comparing year-to-year returns helps identify changes, errors, or missing income and deductions
• What key numbers like taxable income and tax brackets reveal about future planning decisions
• How small reporting mistakes like Roth conversions or QCDs can lead to unnecessary taxes
• Why using your return early in the year creates a base case for proactive tax planning
• And more!

Resources:

• Get Your FREE Simply Retirement Roadmap
• 2026 Tax and Retirement Planning Cheat Sheet
• Retirement tax return review checklists: Retired
• Retirement tax return review checklists: Still Working
• #54 – How Social Security Gets Taxed: What You Need to Know
• #75 – Year-End Tax Planning Checklist for 2025

Connect with Eric Blake:

• www.TheSimplyRetirementPodcast.com
• Join the Simply Retirement Newsletter
• Ask a Question or Suggest a Topic for the Podcast
• Blake Wealth Management
• YouTube

Facing major life changes can feel overwhelming, especially when the future is unclear and the stakes are high.

How do you move forward when fear, finances, and identity are all shifting at once?

In this episode, I chat with Claudia Porter, CFP®, CDFA®, Wealth Advisor at RFG Advisory, about navigating divorce, financial uncertainty, and rebuilding life with purpose. She shares her personal journey from feeling financially powerless to taking control, the mindset shifts that helped her move forward, and how small steps can create momentum.

Claudia also explores the importance of support systems, journaling for clarity, and empowering women to take an active role in their financial lives.

Key takeaways:

• How financial control in relationships can limit independence and decision-making during major life transitions
• Why taking one step at a time can help reduce overwhelm and build confidence in uncertain situations
• The role of journaling in creating clarity, distance, and better decision-making during emotional periods
• How building a trusted support team can provide guidance, perspective, and accountability when it matters most
• Why participating in financial conversations early can help avoid stress and uncertainty later in life
• And more!

Resources:

• Get Your FREE Simply Retirement Roadmap

• WOMEN, WEALTH, AND WINNING: Essential Strategies Female Business Owners Should Know to Master Your Money, Cultivate Success, and Build a Solid Financial Future by Claudia Porter
• On the Other Side: A Woman’s Guide to Rediscovering Strength and Success Beyond Adversity by Claudia Porter

Connect with Eric Blake:

• www.TheSimplyRetirementPodcast.com
• Join the Simply Retirement Newsletter
• Ask a Question or Suggest a Topic for the Podcast
• Blake Wealth Management
• YouTube

Connect with Claudia Porter:

• LinkedIn: Claudia Porter
• Website: RFG Advisory

About our Guest:

Claudia was born and raised in West Germany.

She is a Certified Financial Planner® and has been in the financial industry for 11 years and partnered with RFG Advisory in March, 2025 to go independent.

She has a Master’s Degree in Teaching English and French from the University of Göttingen and a Ph.D. in Linguistics from Braunschweig Technical University. In 2014, she left academia to return to her earlier passion for financial planning and wealth management to make a more significant impact in people’s lives. For Claudia, “Success is not what you get, but the positive impact you make in other people’s lives.”

She is the author of 2 books, “Women, Wealth, and Winning” and “On The Other Side: A Woman’s Guide to Rediscovering Strength and Success Beyond Adversity”.

Claudia has 4 boys, 3 of whom are in college, 1 is still in high school.