Know Your Half

Starting Over

Your divorce is final.
Here's what to do next.

"The hardest part is behind you. These guides cover the practical steps — in the right order."

Know Your Half Plain English No login required

Getting divorced is one thing. Rebuilding your financial life afterward is another. This section covers the practical steps most people have to figure out on their own — what to do first, what has deadlines, what can wait, and how to get to solid ground. The guides below follow the arc of recovery: immediate actions, the rebuild, and the long game.

Phase 1 First 90 Days Decree in hand — immediate steps

What to Do Financially After Your Divorce Is Final

A plain English checklist of the financial steps that matter most in the first 30–90 days — in the right order, with the deadlines that can't be missed.

Health Insurance After Divorce: COBRA, Marketplace, and Your Options

You have 60 days to act before you lose coverage entirely. Here's what COBRA actually costs, when the Marketplace is cheaper, and how to choose.

Updating Beneficiaries After Divorce

Retirement accounts, life insurance, and investment accounts don't update automatically when you divorce. Here's the full list and how to fix each one.

How to Separate Your Finances After Divorce

Closing joint accounts, opening individual ones, and untangling shared credit — the practical steps and what order to do them in.

Taxes the First Year After Divorce

Your filing status, withholding, and child-related credits all change after divorce. What to update and what surprises to watch for in year one.

Phase 2 The Rebuild Months 3–18

How to Rebuild Your Credit After Divorce

Joint accounts, authorized user status, and a suddenly different income — how divorce affects your credit and the step-by-step rebuild plan.

How to Budget After Divorce: Living on One Income

One income where there used to be two — how to build a realistic post-divorce budget, what changes, and where to find room when money is tight.

Renting vs. Buying After Divorce: The Financial Case for Each

The math changes on one income. The 5-year break-even, the true cost of buying vs. renting, and a worked example showing when each choice makes financial sense.

Refinancing the House After Divorce

If one spouse keeps the house, the mortgage must be refinanced into one name. How the equity buyout works, what it takes to qualify solo, and options if you can't.

Changing Your Name After Divorce: The Financial Checklist

Social Security first, then DMV, then every financial account. The right order matters — and here's the complete checklist of every institution to notify.

Life Insurance After Divorce: What to Update

Updating beneficiaries is step one. Figuring out if you need new coverage is step two. Plus: what your divorce decree may require you to maintain.

Estate Planning After Divorce: What to Update

Your will, power of attorney, and healthcare directive likely still name your ex. Here's what divorce changes automatically — and what it doesn't.

Phase 3 The Long Game Year 2 and beyond

Rebuilding Retirement Savings After Divorce

Divorce can cut your retirement in half. How to assess the gap, use 2026 catch-up limits, roll over QDRO funds correctly, and tap divorced spouse Social Security.

Co-Parenting Finances: Splitting Expenses After Divorce

Child support covers the basics — medical bills, activities, and school costs are separate. How to split shared expenses, which apps help, and what to do when your co-parent won't pay.

College Savings

529 Plans and College Savings After Divorce

A 529 belongs to the owner, not the child — and the owner can change the beneficiary or withdraw funds unless your decree says otherwise. Here's how to protect it.

Getting Back to Investing After Divorce

The right order matters: emergency fund, debt, then growth. How to rebuild an investment strategy on one income — and keep it simple enough to stick to.

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