{"title":"Divorce \u0026 Money","description":"\u003cp\u003eHe handled the money for years and it worked, which is exactly why none of it was ever written down. Now somebody across a table is waiting for numbers. These cover what you own and what you owe, how to state the part that doesn't add up so a lawyer can act on it, and what a marriage of ten years or more leaves behind on his earnings record — for widows too, where the order you claim in decides what you keep.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"social-security-for-widows-divorced-women","title":"Social Security for Widows \u0026 Divorced Women","description":"\u003ch3\u003eNo one hands you a manual the week your husband dies — or the day the divorce is final\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn April 2026, Social Security's own inspector general found that 5,367 widows could have received $113.8 million more — roughly $21,000 each — simply by claiming their benefits in a smarter order. Nobody at the office is required to map that order for you. This book does, in plain English.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWidowed and divorced are two different sets of rules, and the benefit you take first may not be the one you keep. Social Security's watchdog found problems in 41% of women's claims.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWhy the benefit you take first may not be the one you keep.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWidowed: what you're entitled to at each age, and when.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDivorced: the 10-year line, the 2-year rule, and your ex.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWord-for-word questions to ask, and what to write down.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFive fill-in worksheets, and what actually gets taxed.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eQuestions people ask\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow much Social Security does a widow get?\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cbr\u003eA survivor benefit can be as much as the full benefit your husband was receiving, but the age you claim at reduces it — and the order you take your own benefit and the survivor benefit in changes the lifetime total more than either decision alone. SSA's own inspector general found 5,367 widows who could have received about $21,000 more each, not because they were owed something extra, but because they claimed the two benefits in the wrong order.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhen should a widow switch from her own benefit to the survivor benefit?\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThat switch is the decision this book is built around: start one benefit now, let the other keep growing, then switch. Which one goes first depends on your age, your own earnings record, and what you are still earning. A fill-in Benefit Comparison worksheet and the \"Which Door Am I?\" page walk you to the answer for your situation instead of the average one.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCan I claim Social Security on my ex-husband's record?\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cbr\u003eYes — if the marriage lasted 10 years, the divorce is at least 2 years behind you, and you're 62 or older. And no to the three things women ask next: it does not reduce his benefit, it does not touch his current spouse's benefit, and he is never notified. The book quotes SSA directly on all three so you know where you stand before you call.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003ePaperback Book · 132 pages\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cem\u003eEducational information only — not legal, financial, medical, or tax advice.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e","brand":"Retirement In Order","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44279893622887,"sku":"8mvz9n","price":25.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0680\/7312\/8039\/files\/social-security-widows-divorced-thumb_14962f7e-2d76-437f-baf9-019bc8bc416c.png?v=1788448737"},{"product_id":"he-handled-the-money","title":"He Handled the Money: A Woman's Guide to Divorce Finances","description":"\u003ch3\u003eNobody hands you the file on the way out\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSomewhere in the marriage, the financial side became one person's department. It worked. Then it stopped working, and the first thing anyone asks is the thing you can't answer: what do we own, what do we owe, and where does the money actually come from.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDivorce can leave you deciding about finances you never managed, or were never fully included in.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHe Handled the Money gives you a plain-English understanding of what matters, what to look for, and what questions to ask so you can walk into the process informed instead of guessing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eUnderstand what you own, owe and need to verify.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMake sense of the house, retirement, support, taxes, insurance and Social Security.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eKnow which financial questions to ask before agreeing to anything.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFind free or lower-cost help when professional advice isn't financially realistic.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eQuestions people ask\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat does this book actually cover?\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cbr\u003eTwenty-three chapters on how the money side of a divorce is put together: what marital property, separate property and commingling are asking; what you own and what you owe; where the income comes from and what a household costs; the house, the retirement accounts and a family business; support, taxes, health coverage and the ex-spouse Social Security rules; how to choose and direct a lawyer; and what the decree starts rather than finishes. It ends with two checklists and a one-page map of who answers what.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIs this legal or financial advice?\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cbr\u003eNo. Divorce law is state law, your facts are your own, and no book has seen them. This is educational information written to tell you what you are looking at and who has the authority to answer it — not what to do about your case. Take the specifics to a lawyer, a CPA, your plan administrator or your insurer, and confirm current rules at the source.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIs it still useful if I already have a lawyer?\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThat is usually who it is written for. A lawyer answers legal questions about your case, and a great many of the questions that keep a person awake belong instead to a plan administrator, a lender, an insurer or the Social Security Administration — nobody in the case has a reason to raise those with you. The book is about following what is being said in the room and knowing which desk each question goes to.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cem\u003ePaperback Book · 244 pages\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cem\u003eEducational information only — not legal, financial, medical, or tax advice.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Retirement In Order","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44462133674087,"sku":"g7p2pw","price":27.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0680\/7312\/8039\/files\/he-handled-the-money-thumb_d3707734-7b50-4c78-b1fa-e93044cf8790.png?v=1788448756"},{"product_id":"is-he-hiding-the-money","title":"Is He Hiding the Money? What to Do When the Finances Don't Add Up","description":"\u003ch3\u003eRunning it again in your head won't tell you anything new\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFive ordinary words, and they're hard to say in a normal voice. Part of that is not wanting the answer to be yes. The other part is what asking seems to say about the person asking: you had to have thought it first, and having thought it feels like it has already made you a certain kind of woman.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYou noticed something in the money, and you can't tell whether it means anything. You don't have to know whether he's hiding money — you have to know what you actually saw. A gap isn't a dead end.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHow to state what you saw, in five parts and a last line.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe ordinary reasons a correct picture can look wrong.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA gap in the record, or a gap in what you know.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWhat a forensic accountant does, and who decides it happens.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWhat to tell your attorney, and what not to do while you wait.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eQuestions people ask\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWill this book tell me whether he's hiding money?\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cbr\u003eNo, and that is the first thing it says. Nobody who hasn't seen the actual records, in your actual situation, can tell you what an unexplained observation means. It also won't tell you there's probably an innocent explanation — that sentence is exactly as unsupported as the alarming one, and it sounds responsible while closing the question instead of answering it. What the book does is get the question into the hands of somebody who can answer it, in a form they can work with.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat does it actually cover?\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cbr\u003eSixteen chapters in four parts: how to say precisely what you noticed, in five parts and a last line; the ordinary reasons a picture looks wrong when nothing is wrong — money that never arrives as a statement, two accurate figures that diverge, what a single document was built to answer; the difference between a gap and evidence; how financial disclosure and discovery actually work and what varies by state; what a forensic accountant does and who decides whether it happens; what to tell your attorney in the first hour, and what not to do while you wait. It ends with five reference sheets.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIs this legal or financial advice?\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cbr\u003eNo. Divorce law is state law, your facts are your own, and no book has seen them. This is educational information about how these questions are handled and who has the authority to answer each one — not what to do about your case. Take the specifics to a family-law attorney, a tax professional, your plan administrator or your insurer, and confirm current rules at the source.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cem\u003ePaperback Book · 176 pages\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cem\u003eEducational information only — not legal, financial, medical, or tax advice.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Retirement In Order","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44467255017575,"sku":"k5954j","price":25.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0680\/7312\/8039\/files\/is-he-hiding-the-money-thumb_99cc9001-5622-43e2-8b90-89c501584f35.png?v=1788736074"},{"product_id":"the-divorce-money-bundle","title":"The Divorce Money Bundle","description":"\u003ch3\u003eOne book explains the money. The other is for when it doesn't add up.\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe meeting is on a Tuesday and you have been sent a list. Accounts, balances, the mortgage, the retirement plan, and a form that assumes you already know which kind of plan it is. He handled all of it for years and it worked, which is exactly why nobody — you included — ever wrote any of it down. Now somebody across a table is waiting, and the honest answer is that you don't know.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eThe money side of a divorce explained, and the part that doesn't add up put in a form somebody can act on. Two complete paperbacks. Nothing abridged. Bundle them together and save — one parcel, free US shipping. Read the first one before the next meeting; the second keeps until you need it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGet clear on what you own, owe, and still need to verify.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWork through the house, retirement, support, taxes, benefits.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eKnow what to look at when the numbers don't seem to match.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA gap in the record, or a gap in what you know.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHow to state what you saw, in five parts and a last line.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWhich questions belong with your attorney, CPA or advisor.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eQuestions people ask\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat's actually in the bundle?\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cbr\u003eBoth paperbacks, shipped together in one parcel: He Handled the Money (244 pages, 5.5x8.5) and Is He Hiding the Money? (176 pages, 5.5x8.5). They are the same editions sold separately — nothing is abridged.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhy buy the pair instead of one?\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cbr\u003eBecause the second book assumes the first one. Is He Hiding the Money? teaches you to state an unexplained observation precisely enough to be evaluated, and doing that well means knowing what a normal financial picture is supposed to hold — which is what the other 244 pages are for. The pair costs less than the two bought apart.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhich one should I read first?\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cbr\u003eHe Handled the Money, unless something has already gone wrong. It is the base layer: what you own, what you owe, where the income comes from, and who has authority over each answer. If there is already an account you can't account for, read Chapter 3 of Is He Hiding the Money? tonight — that is the chapter that teaches the five-part statement — and come back to the rest afterwards.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eTwo Paperback Books · 420 pages\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cem\u003eEducational information only — not legal, financial, medical, or tax advice.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Retirement In Order","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44467893370983,"sku":null,"price":46.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0680\/7312\/8039\/files\/the-divorce-money-bundle-thumb_33da80f5-d38f-44da-bba5-c3009407759f.png?v=1788736080"},{"product_id":"the-divorce-money-social-security-bundle","title":"The Divorce Money \u0026 Social Security Bundle","description":"\u003ch3\u003eWhat you have, what doesn't add up, and what you're still owed.\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe meeting is on a Tuesday and you have been sent a list. Accounts, balances, the mortgage, the retirement plan, and a form that assumes you already know which kind of plan it is. He handled all of it for years and it worked, which is exactly why nobody — you included — ever wrote any of it down. Nobody in the room is going to raise the other thing either: that a marriage of ten years or more leaves something behind on his earnings record, and the date the decree is signed is what decides whether you get it.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eThe money explained, the part that doesn't add up put in a form somebody can act on, and the benefits that outlive the decree. Three complete paperbacks. Nothing abridged. One parcel, free US shipping. If your marriage is near the ten-year line, read that chapter first — it's the only decision here with a deadline on it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWhat you own, what you owe, what still needs verifying.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe house, the retirement accounts, support, taxes, coverage.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWhat to look at when two numbers refuse to sit together.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA gap in the record, or a gap in what you know.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe 10-year line, the 2-year rule, and his earnings record.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWhich question goes to the attorney, the CPA, or the SSA.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eQuestions people ask\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat's actually in the bundle?\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cbr\u003eAll three paperbacks, shipped together in one parcel: He Handled the Money (244 pages), Is He Hiding the Money? (176 pages) and Social Security for Widows \u0026amp; Divorced Women (132 pages), all 5.5x8.5. They are the same editions sold separately — nothing is abridged.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow is this different from The Divorce Money Bundle?\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThe Divorce Money Bundle is the two books about the case itself — what you own and owe, and what to do when the numbers don't add up. This one adds the book about what a long marriage leaves behind on his Social Security record, which only applies if you were married ten years or more. Under ten years, buy the pair and keep the difference.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhich one should I read first?\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cbr\u003eHe Handled the Money, with one exception. If your marriage is anywhere near the ten-year mark and the decree is not final, read the divorced-spouse chapter of the Social Security book tonight — the ten-year line is measured to the date the divorce is final, so that is the only decision here you can still change. Otherwise the order is orientation, then the part that doesn't fit, then the income years out.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eThree Paperback Books · 552 pages\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cem\u003eEducational information only — not legal, financial, medical, or tax advice.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Retirement In Order","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44482224750695,"sku":"k59x22","price":67.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0680\/7312\/8039\/files\/the-divorce-money-social-security-bundle-thumb.png?v=1788736085"}],"url":"https:\/\/shop.retirementinorder.com\/collections\/divorce-money.oembed","provider":"Retirement In Order","version":"1.0","type":"link"}