Whether amicable or not, a divorce is a major event in a person’s life. And when it happens, you may feel as though you are challenged on every front–personal, emotional, financial. Where can you find clarity and security?
Divorce financial planning
Divorce financial planning is the nexus of tax analysis, financial planning, real estate analysis, lifestyle preferences and your divorce. Our job is to analyze these components with precision so that you can feel empowered and confident about your financial condition. As a leading divorce financial planning firm, we’ll guide you through each of your financial concerns, before, during and after your divorce.
Will I be OK? How do these pieces fit together? This may be the first time you are going through a divorce, but this is work we do every day. Top matrimonial attorneys, CPAs and mediators reach out to us regularly to assist them with the financial analysis for their cases. We can do the same for you.
What are the top reasons Samalin Divorce finance is retained?
- Our approach is multi-disciplinary. Our professionals designations include Certified Financial Planner (CFP), Certified Divorce Financial Planner (CDFA), Enrolled Agent (EA) with the IRS, CPA, and Masters of Finance in Real Estate.
- Our in-house team approach ensures that multiple sets of eyes review your case without additional cost.
- We have an in-depth understanding of the issues that directly affect you, from divorce taxation, real estate, investments and retirement planning.
- You’ll enjoy a fee-for-service compensation model, without any conflicts of interest or products sold.
- We are committed to the divorce community–our principal has served as President of the Association of Divorce Financial Planners, serves on Board of New York Association of Collaborative Professionals and heads the not-for-profit Second Saturday Westchester program.
What to look for in your financial professional
Check their credentials:
Tax- Tax analysis is a required skill to be handled by the planner. They aren’t your accountant, but they need to fully vet most tax issues in the divorce process. Ask if they’ll need to delegate the task. If they do, consider looking elsewhere.
Real estate- This extends beyond the primary home. They need to know the cash flow, tax and risk components of different types of real estate. If this isn’t a core competency, consider looking elsewhere.
Financial planning- The CFP is a designation that indicates competence in financial planning, a component of divorce financial planning.
Member of the Association of Divorce Financial Planners (ADFP). The ADFP requires its’ members to adhere to a practice standard that aligns the planners’ actions with client goals.
Selecting a Divorce Financial Planning Professional
Confirm their method of compensation:
Some professionals try to give away the divorce financial planning in the hopes of managing your assets. That could put you at substantial financial risk. If they can’t charge an hourly fee for service or offer a quid pro quo, move on immediately.
Confirm that they have a separate retainer agreement. This will confirm that they are delivering divorce financial planning without any strings attached. If they can’t provide this, consider looking elsewhere.
Look for “fee-only”, not fee-based, or commissioned sales.
Our Team
Andrew Samalin, CFP®, EA, CDFA™
Principal 
Andrew Samalin has been advising affluent individuals, businesses and foundations since 1992 and currently manages assets through Samalin Investment Counsel, an SEC Registered Investment Advisory…
Laurance J. Kersh, CFP®
Director – Investments
An industry veteran since 1997, Larry joins us from UBS, where he has been advising officers of non-public small and mid-size businesses and professionals. Larry is a Certified Financial Planner®…
John R. Fussell
Vice President – Investments
John R. Fussell is a Vice President- Investments at Samalin Investment Counsel. He has been a Wealth Manager of high net worth clients and businesses for over 12 years. Prior to joining Samalin…
Clare Casey
Senior Service Representative
Clare has more than 17 years of securities brokerage experience assisting clients at Wachovia Securities and Morgan Stanley Dean Witter. Clare takes a keen interest in the well-being for those she…
Thomas Jay Kowalchuk
Operations Manager
TJay began his career in financial services as a Client Services Associate with Smith Barney in 2005, after graduating from SUNY Binghamton with a Bachelors degree in Human Development. His intrigue…
Maria J. McKee, CFP®
Chief Compliance Officer
Maria is a former branch chief in the Investment Management Division of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Having worked there for seven years, she gained extensive experience in…
MISHELLE CILIBERTI, CPA
Financial Service Associate
Mishelle graduated from SUNY Oswego with a BS in Accounting and began working in the public accounting sector earning her CPA. She moved on to the private sector was employed by Unilever for 6 years gaining experience in the accounting and internal auditing departments….