Your Divorce Numbers: What to Review Before You Decide 

The financial number that matters most at the start of a divorce is not always your net worth. It is the actual cost of your life. 

Many women believe they must gather every account statement before they can begin planning. In reality, your spending tells a clearer story than the documents you cannot access yet. You can identify your lifestyle cost faster than you can track down full account details. That number, the true cost of living your life, drives every decision ahead, including settlement strategy, liquidity needs, and negotiation strength. 

This is your starting point. This is the foundation of your financial clarity. 

1. You Already Know More Than You Think: The Shadow Financial File 

Many women believe they are clueless about money. That belief is almost never true. The information usually sits in your mind. It may feel scattered, but it holds real value when you start organizing your financial picture. 

Think about what you already know: 

Travel patterns. You know which airline gives you status, the hotel brands you prefer, and how often you take major trips. 
Household operations. You know the staff schedule, the contractors who rotate through the home, and which services pull from your accounts automatically. 
Children’s expenses. Tuition, tutors, coaching, sports programs, and summer plans all run through you. 
Lifestyle indicators. You know the charities you support, the gifts you choose, the restaurants you visit, and the clubs you maintain. 
Real estate clues. You see property tax notices, insurance renewals, HOA dues, and utility costs. 

You already hold the framework of a financial file. You need guidance to turn it into clear, organized numbers you can rely on. 

2. Understand the True Cost First 

You have wealth. Now you need visibility. Start by identifying what your life costs today and what it will cost once the divorce is complete. 

Contested, high-asset cases often reach $250,000 in fees, and some rise far beyond that. Attorney fees and the complexity of your estate shape the final cost. Add mediation or arbitration, forensic accounting, business valuation, and expert testimony if your financial world includes companies, trusts, alternative investments, art, or real estate across several states or countries. 

In high-net-worth cases, forensic accountants review account activity in detail, verify income, and value complex holdings so negotiations stay rooted in facts. Their work is intended to support informed financial decision-making and provide visibility into complex assets and income during divorce proceedings. 

Lifestyle Implications 

The real question is not whether you can afford a divorce. The real question is what your life costs and how you will sustain it afterward. 

Can you keep the marital home and the second home? Can you maintain the travel that matters most to you? Decisions about investments, real estate, trusts, and charitable commitments now rest with you alone. 

These decisions require a clear view of your full financial picture. Without a framework, wealth becomes scattered, and emotional reactions can override long-term goals. 

High-net-worth women often see their income drop if they are not the primary earner. That income must be replaced through spousal support if you qualify based on the size and structure of your settlement or through investment income or asset withdrawals. Along with that challenge, you gain something many women have never held directly. You now have full responsibility for managing significant wealth. The shift is not only financial. It is functional. You need a CFO mindset, not to learn finance from scratch, but to manage the wealth you already helped build. 

3. Every Clue Leads Somewhere: Think Like a Detective, Not a Bookkeeper 

Expenses are clues. Each recurring charge points to an account. Tax forms point to income streams. Insurance premiums often reveal an underlying asset. 

Think of your financial picture like a puzzle. You do not start by finding every piece. You start by identifying the edges. Your lifestyle, spending patterns, and income history create those edges. Savant’s Certified Divorce Financial Analyst® (CDFA®) professionals and forensic accountants work with clients to help complete the financial picture. 

Practical Tools That Work 

The Six-Month Spend Pull 

Gather six months of credit card and bank activity. Patterns appear quickly. Dining, club dues, travel cadence, household staff, insurance costs, and charitable giving often stand out. Include cash withdrawals and year-end tipping. This approach is faster and more empowering than waiting for account statements. If spending is accessed through accounts not directly in your name, qualified professionals can help identify information that supports lifestyle analysis. 

Your Calendar Is a Financial Document 

A year of calendar entries reveals children’s activities, travel frequency, medical appointments, social commitments, memberships, and the recurring costs tied to your life. Women rarely think to use it. It is one of the most valuable tools you already have. 

Your Digital Life Is a Financial Map 

Browser history, email receipts, and apps often point directly to investment accounts, payment platforms, recurring services, and business expenses paid personally. This information turns what feels invisible into something you can track. 

Your Medical Costs 

Enroll in online access for your health insurance and pull the last three months of unreimbursed medical expenses. Include the deductible. Every $5,000 annual deductible adds $417 per month to your cost of living. Out-of-pocket medical, dental, and vision costs are often overlooked and rarely captured accurately. 

4. Your First Financial Statement Is Not Perfect, and That Is Fine 

Many women hesitate to begin because the marital balance sheet feels like a formal document only a forensic accountant should touch. Here is what you need to know. 

The first version will look messy. It will feel incomplete. You may use rough estimates as placeholders until the details become clear. That is expected, and it is enough to start. 

Your first financial framework is not a legal filing. It is a working draft. It can be imperfect. What matters is that you begin. 

5. Use IRS Tax Transcripts as an X-Ray 

Tax transcripts are not just paperwork. They function like an X-ray of your marriage’s income, deductions, and potential asset locations. Schedules B and D, along with any K-1s and other schedules tied to your assets, often reveal accounts and financial activity that do not appear anywhere else. 

Transcripts show patterns such as income consistency, bonuses, deductions, and personal expenses that may run through a business. They surface more questions than they answer, which is exactly what you need when building a clear financial baseline. 

Many women do not realize they can order transcripts directly from the IRS when they have filed jointly. You do not need to contact the marital CPA if you do not have the primary relationship or if reaching out feels uncomfortable. 

How to Retrieve IRS Tax Transcripts 

• Use the Get Transcript feature in your IRS online account to view or download instantly. 
• Request transcripts by mail if online access does not work. 
• Submit Form 4506 to obtain full copies of filed returns. 

Use these data points to build your financial foundation with your professional team, including a CDFA and a forensic accountant. They strengthen your financial position during a high-net-worth divorce. 

6. Take Control: Order Your Own Credit Reports 

You also have full control over ordering your own credit reports. Your credit score is critical if you need a credit card in your own name, especially if you currently use an additional card on someone else’s account. Your score also matters if you will apply for a mortgage, refinance an existing mortgage, or assume a mortgage to keep the marital residence. 

You can access your three-in-one credit report at AnnualCreditReport.com. Checking your report early gives you time to correct any errors before major financial decisions. 

7. Financial Statement Gathering: You Cannot Divide What You Cannot See 

Financial statement gathering is essential in divorce, especially when meaningful assets, debts, or income streams are involved. It forms the foundation for every major financial decision. Without it, no attorney, judge, mediator, or financial expert can reach an accurate or fair outcome. 

Financial statements reveal the full picture. Bank accounts, investment portfolios, retirement accounts, real estate, credit card debt, loans, and business interests all surface through these documents. Without them, you are negotiating blind. 

How to Retrieve Financial Statements 

• Start by gathering your own statements if they are in your name. This includes bank statements, credit cards, retirement accounts, and loan documents. 
• Your team will request mandatory financial disclosures once the process begins. Every state requires spouses to disclose financial information during divorce. 
• Formal discovery can be used if your spouse does not cooperate with disclosure or transparency. 

While spouses are generally required to provide financial disclosures during divorce, the process and outcomes depend on jurisdiction, court procedures, and legal strategy. 

8. You Need Financial Expertise, and You Also Need Permission to Not Be the Expert 

You need financial expertise throughout a high-net-worth divorce. That does not mean you must become the expert yourself. 

You need a framework. You need a team with the technical skill to decode complex assets and translate them into clear, understandable decisions. You do not need to master hedge funds or private equity. You need to understand your priorities. You do not need fluency in finance yet. You need a roadmap and trusted professionals who can interpret the details for you. 

9. Where Specialized Guidance Fits 

You do not need a crash course in finance. You need a trusted framework. Savant provides specialized divorce financial guidance that helps high-net-worth women move from confusion to control through a clear plan, a proven process, and coordinated support. 

Savant’s team provides financial planning support to help clients understand potential settlement options, evaluate financial tradeoffs, and coordinate financial information with their attorney. When appropriate, in-house forensic accountants support financial planning analysis during divorce. 

What to Do Next 

Feeling overwhelmed or unsure where to begin is normal. Our team at Savant Wealth Management can guide you through the financial elements of divorce from the start. Schedule a complimentary consultation to learn more about Savant’s financial planning services related to divorce and determine whether an advisory relationship may be appropriate. 

This is intended for informational purposes only. You should not assume that any discussion or information contained in this document serves as the receipt of, or as a substitute for, personalized investment advice from Savant. Please consult your investment professional regarding your unique situation.