When Joanne and Dave separated, Joanne found herself at a crossroads in midlife. Their daughter, a young adult just finishing school, was beginning her career and still needed some support with expenses during her transition to independence. Joanne, who had only ever worked casually as a real estate agent while married, now needed to rely on that career as her primary income. She purchased a new home, rebuilt her practice, and took on the responsibility of structuring her financial future on her own. On the surface, she was moving forward. But her financial plan was still rooted in her old life.

Unseen gaps created real risks. Joanne’s beneficiaries still listed her ex-husband, meaning her wealth could unintentionally flow back to him if something happened. Her investment portfolio was structured around a two-income retirement strategy, leaving her exposed to volatility without a partner’s salary as a buffer. And her cash flow was unpredictable — commissions didn’t always align with mortgage payments, supporting her daughter’s early career expenses, and her own living costs.

When Joanne came to Rubach Wealth, our role was to bring her plan into alignment with the life she was actually living.

Together we:

• Updated her estate plan by revising her will, powers of attorney, and beneficiary designations — ensuring her daughter would inherit directly if something happened.
  
• Restructured her investment portfolio to reflect her new risk tolerance and priorities as a single-income household. Joanne had originally hoped to help her daughter buy a condo, but instead, we redirected those funds to strengthen her own retirement savings — protecting her independence while still finding practical ways to support her daughter’s launch, like offering her space at home rent-free.

• Optimized cash flow and tax strategy by creating a tax-efficient savings and withdrawal plan that gave her more predictability from her commission-based income.

• Reviewed insurance coverage to ensure she had adequate disability and critical illness protection, reducing the financial risk of a health event now that she could no longer rely on spousal benefits.

The result? Joanne’s wealth strategy now reflects her reality — and her future. She has clarity on where her money is going, confidence that her daughter is supported, and peace of mind that her financial decisions are aligned with her goals today, not the life she left behind.

At Rubach Wealth, we believe financial planning should evolve as life evolves. For Joanne, that meant transforming uncertainty into clarity — and creating a structure to support her next chapter with confidence.