Divorce financial planning in Washington, where community property changes the math.
I'm Leanne Ozaine, a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst based in Spokane. I work with people across Washington, in person here and over Zoom everywhere else, to make sure the settlement they sign works for the life ahead of them. Not just the paper in front of them.
If you're comparing your options right now, good. You should. This page will help you understand what's different about divorce in Washington and who does what.
What community property actually means for your settlement
Washington is one of nine community property states. In plain English: almost everything earned or acquired during the marriage belongs to both of you, no matter whose name is on it. The paycheck, the 401(k) contributions, the equity that built up in the house, the business that grew while you were married. Community.
Separate property is what you brought into the marriage, plus inheritances and gifts made to you alone. But separate property has a habit of becoming community property when it gets mixed with marital funds. Deposit an inheritance into the joint account, use it for the house down payment, and years later nobody can tell where it went. That's called commingling, and untangling it is tracing work. It's some of the most valuable work I do, because it can move six figures from "split it" to "that's yours."
Washington courts divide property in a way that is "just and equitable." Somebody has to calculate what equitable actually means in dollars. That's my job.
Where "equal" goes wrong in Washington divorces
Here's the trap I see over and over. Two assets, each worth $500,000 on the settlement spreadsheet. One is a retirement account. One is home equity. The spreadsheet says the split is even.
It isn't. The retirement account gets taxed on the way out, and touching it early can add penalties. The home equity is real only if you sell, and keeping the house means carrying the mortgage, taxes, insurance, and maintenance on one income. One asset shrinks when you use it. The other one costs you money every month you hold it. Equal on paper. Not equal in real life.
I've reviewed settlements where a spouse was getting "half" on paper and 31% in reality once taxes and penalties were counted. I've found $47,000 sitting on a single tax return. The numbers are only fair if someone actually runs them.
Before you sign anything, know what it actually means.
Spousal maintenance in Washington
Washington calls it spousal maintenance. You will also hear alimony and spousal support, and they point at the same thing. What a court considers, and how long it runs, is your attorney's territory and it is genuinely case-specific.
The financial question underneath it is mine, and it does not change from state to state: what does one real month of your life cost, what does your income cover on its own, and how big is the gap between those two numbers. That gap is what maintenance exists to bridge. Everything else is negotiation stacked on top of it.
Here is where it gets particular to Washington. Because this is a community property state, maintenance rarely gets decided in isolation. It gets traded against the property division. A larger share of the house, or of a retirement account, in exchange for less support or none at all. Those trades are made on feel far more often than they are made on math, and they are very hard to revisit later.
Support is the one piece of a settlement designed to end. A plan that only works while it lasts is not a plan.
I do this work for the spouse expecting to pay and the spouse expecting to receive. How I work the support number →
What a CDFA does that your attorney doesn't
Your attorney is trained in law. Filing, negotiating, protecting your legal position. Most are very good at it. But they are not building financial models, projecting the tax bill on each version of the settlement, or tracing twenty years of retirement contributions to separate community from separate property. Two-thirds of divorce is about money, and that part isn't their training.
It's mine. I'm a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst with more than two decades in financial planning. I model the settlement options, test whether each one holds up over the next ten years, and help draft proposals that reflect reality. Then I hand your attorney analysis that makes their negotiation stronger. I work with your attorney, not instead of them.
Curious what that looks like in practice? Read how I work with your attorney and what actually happens in a CDFA session.
Common Washington situations I model
Every divorce has its own math. These are the questions Washington clients bring me most often.
Should I keep the house?
The emotional answer and the financial answer are often different. I run the real cost of keeping it on one income. How I help clients decide →
Spousal support
Washington calls it spousal maintenance, and how it gets decided is your attorney's territory. The financial question underneath it is mine: what one real month of your life costs, and the size of the gap support has to bridge. How I work the support number →
Dividing 401(k)s and pensions
A 401(k) has a balance, and it's worth less than that after taxes. A pension has no balance, because it isn't an asset at all. It's future income, and the right move is usually a QDRO on your share of it rather than letting someone buy you out of it.
A business in the marriage
Valuation, commingled funds, and income that doesn't show up neatly on a W-2. High stakes, worth doing right.
Military divorce
Military pensions, TSP, SBP elections, and the rules families at Fairchild ask me about. What I tell every military client →
Divorce after 50
Less time to recover means the settlement has to be right the first time. Social Security timing, retirement, healthcare.
A settlement is already on the table
Before you sign it, let me run the numbers line by line. Talk with me first →
Serving all of Washington, in person in Spokane
My office is in Spokane, the only place I meet clients face to face. Everywhere else in the state, we work over Zoom with shared screens and the same documents. The analysis is identical either way.
Spokane
In person + virtual
Seattle
Virtual
Tacoma
Virtual
Tri-Cities
Virtual
Vancouver
Virtual
Bellingham
Virtual
Spokane Valley
15 min from the office
All locations
Including Idaho + Oregon
How to start before you sign anything
There's no single right way to begin. It depends on where you are in the process.
The Private Sessions $97
This might be right for you if you're early in the process and want to educate yourself before making any moves. Audio episodes and a workbook where I walk you through the financial side of divorce, what to gather, what to watch for, and how to think about your settlement. The first three episodes are free.
Listen to Leanne's thoughts on where to startTalk with Leanne
This is the right step if you want help with your specific situation. You tell me where you are, I tell you what I see, and together we figure out what your case needs. Whether that's a few meetings or me in your corner for the whole process, it starts with a conversation. You are deciding whether I am the right person for this, and that is exactly what the call is for.
Tell me about your situationCurious what working together looks like, from the first call to the final signature? See how I work with clients →
Washington divorce finance questions, answered
How is spousal maintenance decided in Washington?
The factors a Washington court weighs and how long maintenance runs are your attorney’s territory, and it is genuinely case-specific. The financial question underneath it is the one I answer: what one real month of your life costs, what your income covers on its own, and the size of the gap maintenance has to bridge. If those numbers are wrong, the support figure built on them is wrong too.
Can spousal support be traded against the house or a retirement account?
Yes, and in a community property state like Washington it happens constantly. A larger share of the property in exchange for less maintenance, or none. That can be a perfectly good deal or a bad one, and the difference is whether anyone modelled what each version does to your budget over the next several years. These trades are very hard to revisit once signed.
Is Washington a 50/50 divorce state?
Not exactly. Washington is a community property state, so assets acquired during the marriage are generally owned equally. But courts divide property in a way that is "just and equitable," which does not always mean an even split. And an even split on paper is not the same as an even split in real life once you account for taxes, liquidity, and what each asset costs to keep.
How are retirement accounts divided in a Washington divorce?
Contributions made during the marriage are community property, even if the account is in one name. Dividing a 401(k) or pension usually requires a QDRO, and the order of operations matters. A $500,000 retirement account is not worth $500,000 to the person receiving it; taxes and early withdrawal rules change the real number. That math is exactly what I do.
Does it matter who files for divorce first in Washington?
Legally, very little. Financially, the person who starts preparing first usually makes better decisions. Gathering documents, understanding the accounts, and knowing what the settlement needs to cover before negotiations start is worth far more than beating your spouse to the courthouse.
What does a CDFA cost in Washington?
The Private Sessions, my audio series walking you through the financial side of divorce, is $97, and the first three episodes are free. Working with me one-to-one is scoped after a conversation, because no two cases need the same thing. Most clients invest a few thousand dollars over the course of their case. What that returns depends on what is actually in the case, which is not something either of us can know before we look at it.
Do I need a CDFA if I already have an attorney?
Your attorney takes the whole settlement through the legal process, money included. What a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst adds underneath it is a different skill set: settlement modeling, tax projections, tracing separate property, and testing whether a proposal actually works for your future. I work alongside your attorney, not instead of them. Most attorneys I work with are glad to have the analysis.
I'm here when you're ready
Whether you're in Spokane, Seattle, or anywhere in between, the math is the same and so am I. Bring me your situation and we'll figure out the next right move together.
Tell me about your situation