Francesca Federico Becomes a CDFA™ Designee

by Francesca Federico CPFA®, AIF®, CDFA®, Principal and Co-Founder

Co-founder and Principal Francesca Federico recently completed the requirements needed to become a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst® (CDFA™). This designation, issued by the Institute for Divorce Financial Analysts, indicates that an advisor has undergone specific skills-based training to help clients going through divorce with financial issues that that can affect the rest of their lives. In addition, a CDFA is well-equipped to work with clients and their attorneys to analyze the short- and long-term financial effects of divorce, help achieve a settlement, and act as a consultant or expert witness.

“I often meet clients for the first time after their divorce is finalized,” says Francesca. “They show me their financial settlements and ask for help investing these resources to last the rest of their lives. Usually I find that the tax and financial implications of different scenarios, which might have looked equitable at the time of the divorce, would not be so five years into the future. It became clear that many parties to divorce do not understand what they agreed to, or what they might have given up in their settlements.  While many clients had intended to split the marital assets fairly, the fact was, that was rarely the case. Getting my CDFA is a way to help clients make better financial decisions in relation to divorce.”

Francesca specializes in working with women in transition or going through divorce, and has written on the topic of divorce and finance for DivorcedMoms.com. We hope you will join us in congratulating her on her latest achievement!