Money After Divorce with Krista Goodrich and Grace Everitt | Ep. 19

• Krista shares her story of marrying her college sweetheart who became a gambling addict. He stole her corporate reimbursement checks, drained her savings, and racked up credit card debt. After he left, she had to pay off the debts he incurred in her name and rebuild her credit.

He was the one and only person I've ever shared a bank account with. And from that marriage, I walked away and said, I will never do that again.

• She learned a valuable legal lesson: when her ex disappeared, she hired a private detective and became his default power of attorney, allowing her to refinance the house solely in her name.

• Krista emphasizes that there are typically warning signs in relationships that women ignore when in love. Her ex played scratch-off lottery tickets constantly—a red flag she dismissed because they didn't share finances yet.

Women like to save people, and we can fix them. And the things, again, the red flags that we see... I wish women would be a little quicker to do that.

• She divorced in less than a year rather than staying in a miserable situation for a decade like many women do.

• Both guests and host have backgrounds in financial services and observed that the majority of investment accounts belonged to men. Women were absent from financial conversations, leaving them vulnerable.

50% of marriages don't last... All these men investing, all these men actively having meetings with us and talking about their finances and the women were nowhere to be found.

• Understanding money doesn't require picking individual stocks—it requires knowing enough to participate in retirement planning and protect yourself.

• Grace married young to a traditional man who handled all finances. When she needed a car but had no credit, the loan went in his name. She paid him monthly with the understanding it went to the loan.

By the time I actually kicked him out... I had found out through that process that he had not paid any of the car off.

• In the divorce, she stipulated that he assumed 100% of the car debt since it was in his name and she had paid him in good faith. She was 21 and starting fresh.

• Grace notes that getting married takes five minutes but divorce takes enormous effort—yet there's no financial compatibility test. Shared values must include money perspectives.

Money governs literally almost everything we do in our lives... I don't think it's possible to have a happy marriage if you are on two totally different pages about that.

• Krista suggests creating a marital financial awareness checklist. Even without a prenup, couples should discuss how they'll manage money, retirement, and investments.

• Women are terrified of talking about money because failure has severe consequences. Krista recalls her parents refusing to share income information for her FAFSA form—a generational norm of silence.

There's nothing wrong with not being able to afford something. It's actually better to say I can't afford it and save to when you can versus just spending it in hopes.

• The guests discuss how saying "I can't afford that" feels horrible but is necessary for financial health.

• Grace realized at 13 that she didn't care what others thought—a freeing moment that protected her from lifestyle inflation. She now wears the same uniform daily (black leggings, basic t-shirt) to eliminate decision fatigue.

I guarantee you they're thinking more about themselves than they are about you ever. And it's not worth sacrificing your own identity and security and financial stability just to... have a designer purse.

• Everyone has a "diva" spending area—Krista splurges on boating and travel, Tiffany on software. The key is not overspending across all categories.

• Tiffany shares how she attended FinCon (a personal finance influencer conference) for nearly free by securing a scholarship for the $500 ticket and getting lodging sponsored.

I left with at least two to three inches worth of business cards... I already made that back in just one freelancing gig that I got from FinCon.

• She emphasizes focusing on networking over sessions and following up with every contact. Krista notes this demonstrates that there's always a way to accomplish goals if you look for creative solutions.