Child support guidelines are built to cover a baseline standard of living — housing, food, and basic clothing — but leave out the extracurricular, technology, and milestone costs that shape a child’s actual day-to-day life. This program equips financial planners and divorce professionals to identify what guideline support does and does not cover, and to build that gap directly into the settlement process. Participants will learn to construct a life-stage expense framework covering both current and anticipated future costs (from youth activities through prom, driver’s education, and college applications); evaluate the tax and financial-aid tradeoffs among 529 plans, UTMA/UGMA custodial accounts, and joint parent-controlled savings vehicles; and recommend practical, enforceable mechanisms — including joint accounts, joint credit cards, and expense-tracking platforms such as OurFamilyWizard — for managing shared child-related expenses post-decree. The program also addresses the family dynamics of a post-divorce lifestyle gap, including how to help clients navigate financial conversations with children and align co-parenting messaging. Delivered as a lecture-style presentation with case-based illustration, this program is designed for CFP® professionals, CDFA® professionals, and other divorce financial specialists who advise clients on the financial aspects of raising children through and after divorce.
- Teacher: Julian Terry