Kelley Hughes, CDFA

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Kelley Hughes, CDFA Financial Advisor and Certified Divorce Financial Analyst Registered Representative and Financial Advisor of Park Avenue Securities LLC (PAS).

Securities products and advisory services offered through PAS, member FINRA, SIPC. Financial Representative of The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America® (Guardian), New York, NY. PAS is a wholly owned subsidiary of Guardian. Consolidated Planning, Inc. is not an affiliate or subsidiary of PAS or Guardian. This material is intended for general use. By providing this content The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America, Park Avenue Securities LLC, affiliates and/or subsidiaries, and your financial representative are not undertaking to provide advice or make a recommendation for a specific individual or situation, or to otherwise act in a fiduciary capacity. Guardian, its subsidiaries, agents and employees do not provide tax, legal, or accounting advice. Consult your tax, legal, or accounting professional regarding your individual situation. Links to external sites are provided for your convenience in locating related information and services. Guardian, its subsidiaries, agents and employees expressly disclaim any responsibility for and do not maintain, control, recommend, or endorse third-party sites, organizations, products, or services and make no representation as to the completeness, suitability, or quality thereof.
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You don't have to have it figured out before we talk.You don't need to know whether you're going to get divorced.You don...
09/25/2026

You don't have to have it figured out before we talk.

You don't need to know whether you're going to get divorced.

You don't need to have hired an attorney.

And you definitely don't need to show up with every account statement organized and every question already written down.

Tell me what you're wondering about.

Maybe it's whether you could keep the house.

Whether you could maintain your lifestyle.

Whether you could still retire when you want to.

Or simply what your finances might look like on your own.

We'll talk through what you know, what you don't know, and what information would help us start answering those questions.

The goal of that first conversation isn't to make a decision.

It's to help you understand what you need to know so you can decide what comes next.

That's what our first conversation is for.

If you're ready to start asking questions, you can schedule a consultation at SmartDivorceDecisions.com.

What would my income actually look like?It's easy to focus on how the assets might be divided.But eventually, there's an...
09/21/2026

What would my income actually look like?

It's easy to focus on how the assets might be divided.

But eventually, there's another question:

What would actually come into my bank account every month?

Your financial life isn't lived on a balance sheet. It's lived month by month.

What income would you have from work?

Would there be support?

What income or withdrawals could your investments provide?

What about Social Security?

A pension?

And how might those sources of income change over time?

Having assets is important.

But understanding how those assets can support the life you want—now and in retirement—is a different question.

Before you focus only on what you might receive in a divorce, understand what your income could actually look like.

Assets tell you what you have.

Income tells you how you can live.

Could I still retire when I want to?If you're considering divorce later in life, this may be one of the most important q...
09/18/2026

Could I still retire when I want to?

If you're considering divorce later in life, this may be one of the most important questions to answer.

And knowing how the 401(k) might be divided is only part of it.

What would your expenses look like on your own?

How much income would you need to maintain your lifestyle?

What would Social Security provide?

Is there a pension?

How much would you need to continue saving?

When would you need to begin using your retirement assets?

And how could the financial decisions you make during divorce affect the income you'll have years from now?

A settlement can look perfectly reasonable on paper and still have a very different impact when you look at what it means for your retirement.

The goal isn't simply to divide the 401(k).

It's to understand how all of your financial resources could work together to support the retirement you want.

Could I keep the house?It's one of the first questions many women ask when they're considering divorce.And sometimes wha...
09/14/2026

Could I keep the house?

It's one of the first questions many women ask when they're considering divorce.

And sometimes what they're really asking is:

Could I keep my life here?

The answer isn't just about whether you can make the mortgage payment.

You also need to think about property taxes, insurance, maintenance and repairs.

How much of your income would go toward the house?

How much cash would you have available after keeping it?

What would you have to give up in exchange for it?

And would keeping the house affect how much you have available for retirement?

You may absolutely be able to keep your home.

But before deciding that you should, it helps to understand what keeping it would mean for the rest of your financial life.

The mortgage payment is only part of the answer.

You don't have to start with an attorney.If you're considering divorce but aren't sure what you want to do yet, you may ...
09/11/2026

You don't have to start with an attorney.

If you're considering divorce but aren't sure what you want to do yet, you may have questions you want answered before you're ready to talk about the legal process.

What would my finances look like on my own?

What income would I have?

Could I maintain my current lifestyle?

Could I stay in the house if I wanted to?

What would happen to our retirement accounts?

Would I still be able to retire when I planned?

You can start answering those questions before you've made a decision about divorce.

Understanding what your finances could look like on your own can help you figure out what's possible, what might need to change, and what questions you may eventually want to ask an attorney.

You don't have to start with a legal strategy.

You can start by understanding the numbers.

What would I have to change?For many women considering divorce, that question can feel just as important as how the asse...
09/07/2026

What would I have to change?

For many women considering divorce, that question can feel just as important as how the assets might be divided.

Would I have to sell my home?

Would I have to change the way I spend?

Could I still travel?

Would I need to work longer than I planned?

Would my retirement look different?

What about all the other things I've spent years building and planning for?

It's easy to assume that everything will have to change.

But you don't really know until you understand the numbers.

Some things may need to change. Some may not. And some may simply require making different financial choices.

Before you make a decision about your future, it helps to understand what that future could actually look like.

What would have to change?

And what could stay exactly the same?

If you're wondering "What if?"—what do you actually need to know?You don't need to have every financial detail figured o...
09/04/2026

If you're wondering "What if?"—what do you actually need to know?

You don't need to have every financial detail figured out.

But there are a few questions that can begin to change a vague, overwhelming "What if?" into something you can actually evaluate.

What income would I have?

What does it really cost to maintain my lifestyle?

What do we own—and what do we owe?

Could I afford to keep the house?

What would this mean for my retirement?

You may not know the answers yet.

That's okay.

The point isn't to predict exactly what your life would look like. It's to begin understanding what could be possible and what tradeoffs you might face.

Because it's much easier to think about your choices when you're working with information instead of fear.

What if?Sometimes that's the question you need to answer before you can think about anything else.What if I lived on my ...
09/02/2026

What if?

Sometimes that's the question you need to answer before you can think about anything else.

What if I lived on my own?

What would that cost?

What would happen to the house?

What would my income look like?

Would I have enough saved for retirement?

Would I need to work longer than I planned?

You don't have to know what you want to do next to start exploring the answers.

There is a big difference between considering a possibility and making a decision.

Understanding the financial implications of your choices can help you think through what's possible—without committing you to any particular path.

It's okay to start with "What if?"

Sometimes you just need to know what your options are.Not because you've made a decision.Not because you're ready to cal...
08/31/2026

Sometimes you just need to know what your options are.

Not because you've made a decision.

Not because you're ready to call an attorney.

And not because you know exactly what you want to do next.

You may simply have questions.

Could I afford to live on my own?

What would happen to the house?

Would I still be able to retire when I planned?

What would my financial life actually look like?

And what am I not thinking about that I should be?

You don't have to make a decision about your marriage before you start understanding the financial side of your choices.

Sometimes getting information is simply that—getting information.

And that can be a very good place to start.

08/30/2026

Our little staycation in Matthews led to a Greek cookbook, a trip to Minos Greek/Mediterranean grocery, and an afternoon in the kitchen.

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