Gold Zone
Organize your proposals one topic at a time, privately and in writing.
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Financial planning after divorce is often the least comfortable topic, but it is also the most practical. Some decisions are about income and monthly expenses. Others are about housing, children's costs, insurance, support obligations, or questions that should be reviewed by a professional.
The Gold Zone helps you organize these decisions one topic at a time.
You do not need to have every number before you begin. You can start with the area where you have the most information, complete that section privately, and save your written summary. The goal is to help each person think clearly, generate a written summary that can be exchanged, and work toward a financial structure that supports both households without requiring difficult conversations to get there.
These resources are designed to support more organized financial planning, especially when direct conversation is difficult, overwhelming, traumatic, or unproductive.
Each resource will guide you through a focused set of questions and help you create a written summary you can save, print, or exchange when ready.
Start with what each household earns. This resource helps you think through employment income, self-employment income, benefits, seasonal or variable income, and other sources of regular or irregular income that may be relevant to support calculations.
Get StartedOrganize what each household needs to function. This resource helps you think through housing costs, utilities, food, transportation, insurance, subscriptions, and other regular expenses that reflect the actual cost of daily life.
Get StartedIdentify the costs directly related to the children. This resource helps you think through childcare, school costs, activities, clothing, medical expenses, and other recurring or one-time costs that both parents may need to plan for.
Get StartedThink through where each household will live. This resource helps you organize current housing costs, anticipated changes, affordability concerns, and what each person may need in order to establish a stable home after separation.
Get StartedClarify how health, dental, vision, and other insurance will be handled. This resource helps you think through current coverage, costs, who will carry insurance for the children, and how out-of-pocket medical expenses will be managed.
Get StartedOrganize the information relevant to child support. This resource helps you think through income, parenting time, children's expenses, and other factors that typically inform child support calculations in your jurisdiction.
Get StartedThink through whether spousal support may be relevant to your situation. This resource helps you organize income differences, length of marriage, employment history, and other factors that may be considered when evaluating spousal support.
Get StartedIdentify what each person needs to get started. This resource helps you think through one-time costs, temporary financial support, household setup needs, and other expenses that may arise during the transition from one household to two.
Get StartedSome financial questions should not be handled alone. This resource helps you identify concerns, unanswered questions, tax implications, legal questions, or areas where an attorney, mediator, financial advisor, or other professional may need to help.
Get StartedYou may complete these resources in any order. Some people begin with income and expenses because those feel most concrete. Others begin with children's expenses or housing needs because those feel most urgent.
Child support and spousal support are placed together in this zone because both are part of the larger question of two-household financial stability. Neither topic exists in isolation.
The written summaries are not a court order or legal agreement. They are preparation tools designed to help you think clearly and communicate in writing. Before converting any summary into a formal agreement or filing anything with a court, review your plan with a qualified professional in your jurisdiction.
Divorce decisions are connected. Housing affects budget. Budget affects parenting time. Parenting time affects support. If you are not sure which resource to begin with, the Progression Map Options can help you choose a practical path based on what is most urgent in your real life right now.
Each map gives you an order for moving through the Blue, Green, and Gold Zones so both people can work on the same area at the same time.
View Progression Map OptionsWe will email you the Three-Zone Divorce Starting Guide, a short, practical walk through the Blue, Green, and Gold Zones that you can read, save, and share at your own pace.
You will also receive a short series of follow-up emails with more on how Sequential Divorce™ helps you reduce conflict, organize your decisions, and arrive prepared for a mediator or attorney, often at a fraction of the usual cost.
Sequential Divorce™ resources provide informational and organizational tools. They are not legal advice and do not create an attorney-client relationship. Always review divorce-related agreements with a qualified professional in your jurisdiction before signing or filing.