Women & Finance Knowledge Circle: Planning Considerations for Unmarried Couples

3.33 (6 votes)

According to the US Census Bureau the number of unmarried partners living together in the US nearly tripled in two decades. As grey divorce rises, there's a similar trend that divorce is falling among younger clients.

Looking at the numbers, more couples are intentionally cohabitating; what are the emotional, health & financial planning concerns of this demographics as opposed to traditional couples?

Together we’ll
• Uncover client perceived benefits of not marrying
• Understand the consequences of choosing not to marry
• Identify possible issues for your unmarried clients
• Discover potential solutions & takeaways to implement with clients

Understand the emotional & planning challenges that unmarried couples may face; including but not limited to ownership of assets, estate planning, beneficiary planning, taxes, retirement planning & risk management/insurance
Learn how to guide unmarried couples towards resolution of some of the pitfalls that may occur without proper planning
Lead discussions with unmarried clients around potential planning strategies to help mitigate risks that are inherent to their situation, including but not limited to health and financial decisions in a compassionate way

Michelle Petrowski, CFP®, CDFA®

Being Mindful in Divorce

Michelle began her career in corporate America working with Business partners to define their goals, objectives, and strategies to meet them. In 2005, after many mergers and a culture shift, she questioned how she could have more impact in the world in a more meaningful way for families; going back to school mid-life, she earned her CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP®) designation in 2010.

Since then, Michelle has been trained as a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst ™ (CDFA®), Mediator and a Collaborative Financial Neutral. She is a passionate and outspoken advocate of Financial literacy; working with individuals and couples to replace confusion with clarify around money while aligning values with actions through her firms Being Mindful in Divorce & Being in Abundance. Michelle volunteers with Fresh Start Women’s Foundation in AZ, Savvy Ladies in NY, working closely with the AZ National Guard around Personal Finance and has served on the FPA Board of Directors in NY & AZ.

Janice Cackowski, CFP®

Founder

Centry Financial

Janice began her career as a paralegal in a local divorce law firm. There, she discovered a passion for helping clients work through major life changes such as divorce or death. She realized that financial planning is where she wanted to be, helping give people peace of mind as they journeyed through life.

Janice is the founder of Centry Financial in Willoughby, Ohio (just east of Cleveland) and proudly offers personalized financial planning advice to pre-retirees and young professionals.

When she’s not helping clients, you might find her tending her vegetable garden, walking her dogs or reading a book on her patio. Janice lives in Lake County with her husband of over 25 years and her teenage son. Word on the street is she’s also pretty good at keeping score at her son’s baseball games.