DM
San Diego
David Mendoza
Lead Advisor · CFP, AWMS
Surviving Spouse & Divorce
Clarity in the hardest financial conversations — widowhood, separation, and the rebuild that follows. Holds the AWMS designation specifically for this work.
The settlement that looks fair on a one-page summary often looks different on a 20-year cash flow. We help you model the trade-offs honestly — independent of the legal process — so you sign something that holds up over time.
Divorce is one of the few financial events where the most consequential decisions get made under emotional and procedural pressure — often by people who haven't seen a 20-year projection of what they're agreeing to.
Attorneys negotiate. CPAs file. Mediators facilitate. None of them are paid to model what the post-decree balance sheet looks like across two retirements, two healthcare timelines, and two kids' college tracks. That's the gap we sit in.
We work alongside your attorney, independent of the legal strategy, so the financial implications of every settlement option are on the table before anything is signed.
A starting checklist. Not exhaustive — a place to begin.
Three or more realistic structures, modeled across 20 years. You see what each one actually means before signing.
We work alongside the legal team — not in competition. Our role is the financial reality the legal strategy lives inside.
A new investment policy, a new estate plan, a new cash-flow plan. The post-decree life gets its own architecture.
Clarity in the hardest financial conversations — widowhood, separation, and the rebuild that follows. Holds the AWMS designation specifically for this work.
What to gather, what to model, and what to never agree to before you've seen it on a 20-year projection.