Dr. Judith Gerhart, CFP
Certified Divorce Financial Analyst 
Reducing Holiday Stress
Sunday, December 28th, 2008
1. Continue your traditions, but simplify them: If one of your traditions is decorating your home, you may find that you can cut back on the amount of decorations you put up this year.
2. Let others help: If you normally cook Christmas dinner for family or friends, why not suggest a pot-luck this year, and [...]
Divorce and Children
Saturday, December 27th, 2008
1. Utilize Age Appropriate Therapy.It is important to have a third party who can be objective and whose only concern is listening to and putting at ease, the feelings of the child. A child will feel more comfortable expressing anger or sadness to a third party such as a therapist.
2. Put Their Feelings First.Stay focused [...]
Divorce and Debt
Wednesday, December 24th, 2008
Once you’ve identified your debts and taken steps to ensure they don’t increase, it’s time to decide who will be responsible for what debt. There are several ways to do this, including:
If possible, pay off the debts now. If you have savings or assets you can sell, this is the cleanest method. You don’t have [...]
Parenting Mistakes
Sunday, December 21st, 2008
Professionals all agree these are some of the most emotionally damaging mistakes to children that parents make when coping with divorce or separation:
Asking your children to bear the weight of making decisions or choosing sides.
Failing to remind your children that none of this is in any way their fault.
Forgetting to emphasize that Mom and Dad [...]
Avoiding Bankruptcy
Saturday, December 20th, 2008
There are ways to handle your debt and avoid bankruptcy. For starters, you can come up with a plan to pay off your debt based on the amount of your debt and your monthly income. Cutting back some of your expenses may give you the extra money you need to pay your debt. Paying off [...]
Divorce Financial Planning
Tuesday, December 16th, 2008
Divorce is not one of the happy milestones in your life that you plan for, but it happens, and it could happen to you. Should you be on the verge of a divorce, or already involved in procuring one, there are many serious financial issues to resolve in order to protect yourself from major financial [...]
Defensive Financial Moves
Tuesday, December 9th, 2008
• Pull Your Credit Report – Find out now about any potential problems before the divorce is final. Make sure to get your reports from all three major credit reporting agencies – Experian, TransUnion and Equifax. Recent changes in the law allow individuals to have a free credit report from each agency once a year. [...]
Life You Love
Monday, December 8th, 2008
Five Secrets to Creating a Life You Love
By: Annie O’Neill
1. Know what you want.
2. Be willing to take action.
3. Believe that there is no failure, only feedback.
4. Be willing to try different things - if what you are doing isn’t working then do something different.
5. Be positive and believe that you can create a life [...]
Protect Yourself
Saturday, November 29th, 2008
Men tend to know more about financial matters, so it’s important for women to educate themselves about finances. In any marriage, both parties should understand their tax returns and investments, and stay informed of their debts, investments, and family income.
Once it’s clear that a divorce is in the making, cancel any joint bank accounts and [...]
Financial Tables for One
Tuesday, November 25th, 2008
With the combination of later marriage, divorce, widowhood and longevity, almost 90 percent of women will end up managing their finances alone at some point in their lives, according to the Department of Labor.
Regardless of upbringing, income, marital or motherhood status, women need a strong base of financial knowledge to prepare them for that responsibility. [...]
