I was recently a guest on Five Minutes with Freed, a short-form podcast hosted by Michael Freed, a litigation partner at the matrimonial and family law firm Berkman Bottger Newman & Schein. As the name suggests, the whole episode runs about five minutes — but a few moments from it are worth revisiting here.
What we do, in plain terms
At Samalin Wealth, we have been an SEC-registered investment advisory firm for about thirty years. Alongside our broader financial planning work, we serve matrimonial attorneys, their firms, and their clients during and after divorce — specifically, as I put it on the podcast, the cases where the math gets a little squirrelly.
One of the most common reasons people reach out is that in many households, one spouse has had more experience with the family finances than the other. That gap is often what brings the attorney or the client to our door.
When the call usually comes
Michael asked when his clients would most often need our services. The answer is usually one of two moments: during the divorce, or after. In both, attorneys call us. Clients call us. Sometimes both.
Why you can’t unbundle emotion from money
This is the part of the conversation I cared about most. Michael asked what the challenges of the work are, and I told him it might be similar to what he and his colleagues face. Our work does not exist in a vacuum — it exists in our heads, and it exists in the client’s heart, at the same time. And that commingling of the two can cloud great outcomes.
A divorce is a big restructuring of a life. Emotions can run high, sometimes irregularly so. The job is to acknowledge that — not to ignore it — and at the same time to bring stability and reason to the conversation. To look out over the bow and walk along with the client.
You cannot unbundle the two. People are people, and the field of play is money.
A word about matrimonial attorneys
I want to say this here because I tried to say it on the podcast. Matrimonial attorneys do extraordinary work. Every day, they operate in a high-stress, sometimes adversarial environment. They have to be experts in the law, and they have to manage not only the client but the client’s family. And the outcome of their work is not measured only in the year after a divorce. It can have generational effects.
Our role, honestly, is ancillary to theirs. They do an unbelievable job.
One more thing
At the end of every episode, Michael asks a “question of the week.” Mine was: if I could relive one year of my life, which would it be?
My answer was the year each of our kids was born — the perfect intersection of joy, love, terror, extraordinary capital outflows, and sleepless nights. And that was just the first five years.
Disclosures
This material is for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as personalized investment, tax, legal, or matrimonial advice. It is not an offer or solicitation to buy or sell any security and should not be relied upon as the basis for any financial, tax, or legal decision.
Samalin Wealth does not provide legal advice. Divorce financial planning services are intended to complement, not replace, the work of qualified matrimonial counsel and other professional advisors. Each divorce situation is unique, and strategies discussed may not be appropriate for every individual. You should consult with your attorney, tax advisor, and other qualified professionals regarding your specific circumstances.
All investments are subject to market fluctuation, risk, and loss of principal. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results.
CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, and the CFP logo are certification marks owned by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. EA refers to Enrolled Agent, a federally authorized tax practitioner empowered by the U.S. Department of the Treasury. CDFA® (Certified Divorce Financial Analyst) is a registered trademark of the Institute for Divorce Financial Analysts.
Samalin Wealth is a registered investment adviser. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Additional information about the firm is available in our Form ADV Part 2, available upon request.