Divorce News

Local woman a pioneer in divorce finances

Sunday, July 12, 2009
Longmont Times-Call

By Tony Kindelspire

LONGMONT — There are dozens, if not hundreds, of people around the country who do what she does. But back when Carol Ann Wilson turned the focus of her financial planning business to matters of divorce, she was the first.

“I founded the profession; I actually started the profession,” said Wilson, a Longmont resident for 81/2 years and a Boulder County resident since the 1950s.

Last year, Wilson received the Pioneering Award from the Association of Divorce Financial Planners.

“It all started about 25 years ago,” said the University of Colorado at Boulder graduate, who later became a certified financial planner. “I was seeing people in my office after their divorce, and they didn’t realize what they had agreed to in their final settlement.”

For example, she said, a couple might agree to split everything 50-50. That sounds equitable, but if the woman gets the house and is solely responsible for paying all the taxes on the property, it can put her at a serious disadvantage over the long run, Wilson said. Such instances are all too common, she said, which is why she carved out the niche in the marketplace that she did.

“Attorneys know the law, but they aren’t financial experts,” Wilson said.

In 1993 Wilson gave a formal name to her profession: financial divorce professional. She began teaching and selling materials for certification programs and other training methods that financial planners, attorneys and real estate professionals around the country use.

<snip>

Wilson calls the "Divorce Survival Kit" - which includes audio CDs, a workbook with forms and checklists, and nearly two dozen lists of things to think about - "near and dear to my heart."

The kit retails for about $100 - much less than the $2,500 she charges individual clients.

"I've been wanting to do (the guide) for years and I just didn't have the time," she said.

Click here to read the rest of the article:
http://www.timescall.com/tcBusiness/business-story.asp?ID=17030