Understanding Your Divorce Financial Readiness Score: A Guide to Making Informed Decisions
How to Build Financial Security After Divorce without Crippling Legal Bills even if Starting Over Terrifies You
Divorce brings emotional upheaval, but its financial impact can last decades longer than the emotional recovery. While the "Divorce Industrial Complex" often pushes couples toward expensive litigation first, I've found through both professional experience and personal journey that understanding your financial position should come before legal battles begin.
The Divorce Financial Readiness Indicator (DFRI) helps you assess where you stand financially before making life-altering decisions. This tool gives you clarity about your financial preparedness and helps identify your best next steps—whether that's gathering documents, consulting specific professionals, or exploring mediation options.
What is the Divorce Financial Readiness Indicator (DFRI)?
The DFRI is a self-assessment tool I developed after seeing thousands of clients make costly financial mistakes during divorce. It distills the essential financial considerations from my comprehensive guide, "Soft Landing: Divorce Planning for Everyone," into a personalized evaluation tailored to your specific situation.
Unlike generic divorce checklists, the DFRI evaluates your unique financial circumstances, knowledge gaps, and readiness factors to generate a personalized score. This score helps you understand your current preparedness level and identifies specific areas needing attention before making significant decisions.
The DFRI was born from a simple observation: clients who understood their finances before meeting lawyers saved thousands in professional fees and made better long-term decisions.
How Does the DFRI Work?
Overview of the DFRI Process
The process begins with a straightforward questionnaire covering key aspects of your financial situation. Questions address your knowledge of household assets and debts, income sources, tax implications, retirement accounts, and other financial elements relevant to divorce settlements.
The assessment takes approximately 10-15 minutes to complete. You'll answer questions about your financial knowledge, document accessibility, and comfort level with various financial topics. The questions are designed to be straightforward while uncovering critical areas that might need attention.
Understanding Your DFRI Score
After completing the questionnaire, you'll receive a DFRI Score ranging from 0-100. This score reflects your current financial readiness for divorce proceedings:
0-40: Limited Readiness – Significant preparation needed before making major decisions
41-70: Moderate Readiness – Some key areas require attention and development
71-100: Strong Readiness – Well-positioned to engage in informed divorce negotiations
Your score breakdown highlights specific areas of strength and vulnerability, giving you a clear picture of where to focus your preparation efforts. This targeted approach prevents wasting time and money addressing aspects that aren't relevant to your situation.
What Options are Available Based on Your DFRI Score?
DFRI Primer: Your Starting Point
The DFRI Primer provides your basic readiness score at no cost. This free assessment gives you an immediate understanding of your financial preparedness level and highlights major areas needing attention.
The Primer serves as an eye-opening first step, helping you recognize whether you're ready to proceed or need additional preparation. Many clients report that simply seeing their score prompted them to gather important documents they hadn't considered relevant.
For example, one client discovered through the Primer that she had no knowledge of her spouse's pension details—information that ultimately represented over $300,000 in matrimonial assets she might have overlooked.
DFRI Plus: Customized Guidance
The DFRI Plus builds on your score by providing a personalized financial planning guide and actionable checklist tailored to your specific circumstances. Currently offered at no cost (normally $39.77), this option delivers:
A customized eBook addressing your particular financial situation
A prioritized to-do list identifying your most urgent preparation needs
Document checklists specific to your asset types and financial structure
Guidance on gathering financial information efficiently
The Plus option transforms general advice into specific, actionable steps for your unique situation. It helps you organize and prioritize your preparation efforts, ensuring you address the most critical aspects first.
DFRI Ultimate: Comprehensive Strategy and Support
For those seeking personalized guidance, the DFRI Ultimate package ($199.77) provides comprehensive support through:
Everything included in DFRI Plus
A 60-minute strategy and coaching session with a divorce financial specialist
Personalized analysis of your specific financial challenges
Expert guidance on preparation priorities and potential pitfalls
Recommendations for appropriate professional support based on your needs
The Ultimate option is particularly valuable for complex financial situations or when you need confidence in navigating unfamiliar financial territory. The coaching session helps clarify confusing aspects of divorce finances and develops a strategic approach to your specific circumstances.
Why is Financial Readiness Important in Divorce?
Financial readiness directly impacts both the process and outcome of your divorce. When you understand your complete financial picture, you:
Reduce professional fees – Lawyers and financial professionals charge hourly rates. Coming prepared with organized information saves substantial time and money.
Make better decisions – Emotional decision-making during divorce often leads to financial regrets. Financial clarity helps separate emotional reactions from practical choices.
Identify hidden assets or liabilities – Without proper preparation, important financial elements can be overlooked in settlements.
Negotiate from knowledge rather than fear – Understanding your financial position gives you confidence during negotiations and prevents accepting unfavourable terms out of uncertainty.
Set realistic post-divorce expectations – Financial readiness helps you plan for life after divorce with realistic budget expectations.
One client saved over $4,000 in legal fees by completing the DFRI process before her first lawyer meeting. She arrived with organized documents and clear questions, eliminating hours of expensive information-gathering the lawyer would have otherwise billed for.
Taking Control of Your Financial Future
Divorce represents not just the end of a relationship but a financial restructuring that affects your future security. The DFRI provides a structured approach to this transition, helping you move forward with confidence rather than confusion.
By understanding your financial readiness before making major decisions, you position yourself for better outcomes and reduced stress. Whether you're just considering separation or already in the process, the DFRI helps you take control of your financial future.
Start with the free DFRI Primer to assess your current readiness. Based on your results, you can determine whether additional guidance through the Plus or Ultimate options would benefit your specific situation.
Thinking About Separation? Let's Talk.
If you're feeling uncertain or overwhelmed, you don't have to figure it all out alone. Our Get Acquainted Call is a free, no-pressure conversation to explore your situation and see if our approach is the right fit for you.
Schedule your Get Acquainted Call now — and take the first smart step toward clarity, confidence, and a cooperative resolution. https://to.dtsw.ca/thinkingaboutseparation