Susan: Taking care of the unexpected, while planning for the future

Key facts:

• Susan had separated from her husband and had been recommended to us by her solicitor
• They had broadly agreed a 50:50 split of all assets and shared custody of the children
• She wanted to ensure that her children would be financially protected if she died

What did we do for Susan?

We started by getting to know Susan, discussing her worries as well as what she wanted out of her new life.

In the short term, she wanted to ensure that in the event of her death the mortgage could be paid off, so that her children would have somewhere to live. She also wanted to ensure that sufficient money would be left over to bring them up.

Susan was also concerned about whether she would have enough to live on in retirement, if she agreed to the financial settlement being offered.

To answer these questions, we needed to collect detailed information about Susan’s income, expenditure, assets and liabilities. This allowed us to produce a cash flow model looking to the future.

We concluded that following her divorce and the subsequent financial settlement, Susan would need to save more money for retirement. We then made detailed recommendations, laying out everything which needed to be done, and started to implement the plan.

How did Susan benefit?

Susan now has peace of mind; her children will be financially secure in the event of her death. Importantly, she herself will also be financially secure in retirement, since she was able to agree a fair settlement. She can now start planning for her future.