Divorcing in Your 40s? What Every Woman Needs to Know Before Separating

Divorce and separation in your 40s can feel overwhelming, emotional, and financially terrifying, especially if you’ve spent years prioritising your family, your partner, or their career over your own.

In Australia, the average age women are divorcing is around 44 years old, yet so many women reach this moment feeling unprepared and unsure of their legal and financial rights.

In this episode of Get Rich, Molly Benjamin is joined by Australian family lawyer Samantha Lewis to unpack what women actually need to know before separating, legally, financially, and emotionally.

We cover the biggest myths women believe about divorce, why “just wanting things to be fair” can quietly leave you financially worse off, and the critical mistakes many women make in the first few weeks after separation.

You’ll learn:

• How separating in your 40s is legally and financially different from your 20s or 30s
  
• Why it doesn’t matter whose name assets, property, or superannuation are in
  
• How non-financial contributions, like raising children or supporting a partner’s career, are treated under Australian family law
  
• What to do before money or assets start disappearing
  
• Why superannuation is often one of the biggest assets in a separation
  
• How women can fund legal advice, even if they don’t currently have access to money
  
• The one-year deadline after divorce that could cost you everything if you miss it
  
• Why it’s never too late to start again financially, even in your 40s or 50s

This is an empowering, practical conversation for Australian women who are separated, divorcing, thinking about leaving, or supporting a friend who is. It’s not about fear, it’s about clarity, confidence, and knowing your rights before you make life-changing decisions.

🎧 Listen with your notes app open, then send this episode to a woman who needs it.

General information only. This episode does not constitute legal or financial advice. Always seek advice specific to your circumstances.

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CHAPTERS

00:00:00 - Welcome to Get Rich with Molly Benjamin
00:01:16 - Divorcing in Your 40s, Why It’s So Hard (Average Age 44)
00:02:35 - Meet Samantha Lewis, Family Lawyer
00:02:48 - Why Divorce in Your 40s Is Different
00:03:45 - Marriage vs De Facto, What the Law Says
00:04:44 - Biggest Early Mistakes After Separation
00:05:40 - What to Do Before Money Starts Disappearing
00:06:35 - What NOT to Do (Texts, Social Media, AVO Risks)
00:07:22 - Divorce Myths, “It’s in My Name” and Inheritance
00:08:08 - How Property Settlement Actually Works
00:09:09 - Non-Financial Contributions, Why Kids Matter
00:09:57 - How to Pay for a Lawyer Without Money
00:11:08 - Superannuation Splits, What You Need to Know
00:12:38 - Is It Too Late to Start Over Financially?
00:14:05 - Real Story, The Credit Card Moment That Changed Everything
00:16:13 - “I Just Want It to Be Fair”, Why That Can Cost You
00:17:34 - Divorce vs Property Settlement, The 1-Year Deadline
00:19:32 - New Partners and Delayed Settlements
00:20:08 - Prenups and Binding Financial Agreements
00:21:13 - Red Flags, Coercive Control and Financial Abuse
00:22:29 - Protecting Kids During Separation
00:24:17 - Starting Over in Your 40s, Final Advice
00:25:44 - How to Contact Samantha Lewis

LINKS FROM THE EPISODE

Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia: https://www.fcfcoa.gov.au/
Parenting after Separation Resources: https://parentingafterseparation.com.au/

CONNECT WITH SAMANTHA LEWIS

Website: http://www.lewisfamilylawyers.com.au/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lewisfamilylawyers/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lewis-family-lawyers/

CONNECT WITH LADIES FINANCE CLUB

Join our free Facebook group - Ladies Finance Club Money Chat
Website: https://www.ladiesfinanceclub.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ladiesfinanceclub/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ladies-finance-club/

TAKEAWAYS

• Divorce in your 40s involves more complex financial needs.
• De facto relationships are treated similarly to marriages under the law.
• Knowledge is crucial; seek legal advice early.
• Avoid putting anything in writing during emotional times.
• Superannuation can be a significant asset in divorce.
• Non-financial contributions are valued equally in relationships.
• Access to legal funding is available for those in need.
• It's never too late to regain financial independence.
• Prenups can protect individual assets in new relationships.
• Recognising red flags can help prevent toxic relationships.

SOUND BITES

"Knowledge is power."
"Don't put anything in writing."
"You go live your best life."

TRANSCRIPT

[00:00:00] Molly: Welcome to Get Rich, the podcast that helps you do just that. Get rich and stay rich. Hey, I'm Molly Benjamin. I'm the founder of Ladies Finance Club, one of Australia's largest financial education platforms for women. But before I started helping thousands of women take control with their money, I was a hot financial mess when it came to my own finances and not the fun kind of hot, more like crying in a supermarket, wondering where all my money went kind of hot.

[00:00:29] But here's the thing, if I can go from financial mess to owning a share portfolio, investing in property, and building wealth. Then you can too. My mission is simple to make women rich because when we have financial freedom, we have choices, confidence, and control over our future. Every week on Get Rich, I sit down with some of the best experts in the industry to break down how we can all start investing, growing our money, and creating long-term financial security without the jargon, boring bits or overwhelm.

[00:01:02] Because when women get rich, we don't just change our lives. We change the world. So if you're ready to start making some smart Money moves, hit that subscribe button and let's get Rich together.

[00:01:16] Welcome back to another episode of Get Rich. Now. Divorce and separation in your forties can feel overwhelming, emotional, and well financially. Terrifying. Especially if you've spent years prioritizing your family, your partner, or their career over your own, which is what we see a lot at Ladies Finance Club.

[00:01:36] In Australia, the average age women are divorcing, is usually around 44 years old, and so many women reach this point feeling unprepared and unsure about their legal and financial rights. In this episode of Get Rich, I'm joined by Australian. Family lawyer, Samantha Lewis, to unpack what women actually need to know before separating legally, financially, and emotionally.

[00:01:59] Talk about some of the myths. Women believe about divorce, the mistakes that can cost you financially if you make them early, and why just wanting things to be fair isn't always enough. This is a practical, empowering conversation for women who are thinking about leaving. Already separated or maybe supporting a friend going through this season of their life.

[00:02:18] This is a practical and empowering conversation for women who are thinking about leaving already separating or supporting a friend going through it. Now, if you wanna connect with Samantha or some of our other fantastic ambassadors and experts we work with, will pop a link in the show notes where you can contact them.

[00:02:35] Let's get in today's very important episode. Well, Samantha, welcome to the Get Rich podcast. I'm excited that we can finally have you on the show.

[00:02:46] Samantha: I'm so excited. Thanks so much for having me, Molly.

[00:02:48] Molly: Awesome. So we know that on average women in Australia are getting divorced when they're around 44.1 years old.

[00:02:56] So I guess how is separating in your forties, legally and financially different from maybe separating in your twenties or thirties?

[00:03:05] Samantha: That's

[00:03:05] Molly: such

[00:03:05] Samantha: a good question, a very specific age. Look, it's a trickier time because you've already probably set up a business or you've already set up some wealth. Your children are at a stage, whether they're, you know, at primary school entering into high school or doing HSC, it's a really tricky time, so it can be a bit more complicated.

[00:03:26] There's much more complex financial needs than if you're in your twenties and just starting out and you've probably solidified a real joint account with your, with your spouse. So it's a really much more complex scenario that you are in because you do need to somehow navigate through dividing those assets and working out proper parenting arrangements for your children.

[00:03:45] Molly: And just to like. Be clear upfront is being married and being in a defacto relationship, the same thing when it comes to separating in the terms of the, I guess in the eyes of the law.

[00:03:57] Samantha: Yeah, so there's different timeframes, so defacto as you've been together for two years and people think, oh, well, gosh, they're entitled to 50%, like if you're married.

[00:04:06] I mean, there's all those sorts of myths. That are thrown out there. And yes, certainly the law says de facto relationships and marriages should be treated equal because the Family Law act clearly says that de facto relationships and married couples should be treated the same. But it's not like two years and suddenly you're entitled to what a, a long, 20 year marriage is entitled to.

[00:04:29] The contributions are still required to be considered and all of the legal issues still need to be considered. So it's not like an automatic in, but certainly over time, if it's been a long defactor relationship, then yes, certainly it is treated like a a marriage.

[00:04:44] Molly: And what are the biggest mistakes, I guess you see women make in the first few weeks after they decide they wanna separate?

[00:04:52] So I think just not doing

[00:04:54] Samantha: anything and not getting information, knowledge is power and I think people, it's not a mistake for sure. You're in a such an emotional state and they might put off going and getting advice and just listening to people around them, and that can sometimes be really unhelpful.

[00:05:11] Every scenario is different. And particularly I see people where their ex-partner might be saying things that are totally inaccurate. And if there's been a long relationship with domestic violence and you know, they've been told all of these things by their partner, you know, I've got everything. You are not entitled to anything.

[00:05:30] They don't go and get advice because of those comments, and that's what's really, really harmful. So the first thing I think people need to do is. Just go and get advice. Know where you stand.

[00:05:40] Molly: Absolutely. And as far as like any pre-work they can do, is it around like, okay, working out, what are our bank accounts?

[00:05:50] What's my name on? Are there any other like smaller little, I guess life admin tasks that can be doing that will help you guys out later? Especially if things all of a sudden start disappearing.

[00:06:00] Samantha: Yeah, absolutely. So we look at a balance sheet. That's one of the first things we kind of need to know. Yeah. So working out what your assets and your liabilities are, both now when you've separated, but also look back at what you had when you started living together.

[00:06:15] 'cause that's another question that gets asked in the first consult and people think, gosh, what did I have at the beginning? So going back and thinking, okay, well what did I bring into this relationship? What bank statements do I have to prove that? And what assets do we have now? Start putting together that list and start.

[00:06:30] Gathering up those bank statements and putting together those lists. Absolutely.

[00:06:35] Molly: And is there anything people should not do straightaway, even if they're feeling like emotional or panicked?

[00:06:43] Samantha: There's quite a few things. Anything in writing you can't take back. Social media is a real key thing. People love jumping on it.

[00:06:51] If it can be avoided, please do so. Don't put anything in writing. It's really hard. It can be an emotionally charged time. But, um, I see a lot of people unfortunately, ind up with AVOs. Particularly around a separation because they do. How emotional and it can lead to harassment charges because there's been 20, 30 text messages sent in an hour.

[00:07:14] So it, it, it can be quite extreme. So just try not to put anything in writing. Okay. That's good advice.

[00:07:22] Molly: And what do you think are the biggest myths people believe about who gets what after a long relationship or marriage? I hear a lot that it's gonna be 50 50, but we know that's not necessarily true. Are there any other kind of myths that you hear quite a lot that you're like, oh God, I wish people knew that's not actually the case.

[00:07:39] Samantha: Yeah, I think there is still a misconception that's, if it's in my name, it's mine. Yeah. Or if it's my inheritance, it's mine. Yeah. You know, I spoke to someone today that their partner kept saying that to them, oh, well this company's in my name, so, you know, not getting any of it. I think that's a really big misconception.

[00:07:57] And also inheritance is just because it was received by you from your family member doesn't mean it's just yours name doesn't mean much, unfortunately. So we really need. To dispel that myth.

[00:08:08] Molly: And so how does that. Property settlement work, does everything get kind of put in the one pot and then divvied out?

[00:08:16] Or does every, does it always go to court? Like how does the process actually work?

[00:08:21] Samantha: Yeah, so one of the first things we do is find out what are the assets. Mm-hmm. Okay, so what? What would we put in this balance sheet? Because we do try and consider everything as joint, depending on the circumstances and how long the relationship was for.

[00:08:34] Once we have that balance sheet, we can then work out, okay, well. Who contributed to assets? Who brought them in, or were they from third parties? Was it during the marriage or relationship? They brought them together. So then we work out who contributed to those assets, and then we look at, well, even if we look at the contributions or should there be some adjusting factors to take into account if someone earns more than the other person, if someone's got the care of children, if there were any inheritances, people have been contributing more to that balance sheet.

[00:09:06] So it is a bit of a process to get that sort of answer.

[00:09:09] Molly: And what about non-financial contributions? So a lot of, you know, we have a lot of women listening. Some of them might have taken that kind of raising the children. Supporting a partner's career, so how is that treated

[00:09:23] Samantha: under the law? I love, I love that question because I love saying to women who have come into my office and they're really upset because their partners said, I've worked.

[00:09:32] I've made all this money. You've made nothing. I love telling them that even if their partner was earning a million dollars a year. Your contributions is looking after these children and a long relationship is considered equal. Right? Right. So it should be, it's such a, absolutely. It is that person's role in the relationship.

[00:09:50] So if it's a long relationship, there's children involved, income really doesn't mean much at all.

[00:09:57] Molly: That's great and I think that's so important for women to hear as well. 'cause I guess the people listening to this who they're like, maybe the partner is the one controlling the money at the moment and they wanna separate, but they're worried about, well, how would I even pay for a family lawyer?

[00:10:13] What are their services out there that they can use? Or do you get like the first consultation with a family lawyer free? How does that generally work in those situations?

[00:10:23] Samantha: That's one of the reasons why I think so many people stay in toxic relationships because they're so scared of how they're going to fund it.

[00:10:30] Yeah. There is some amazing services available. We use a litigation funder called Just Fund. They generally will fund a party if everything's in the other person's name, but they've been together for so long and clearly they're going to get part of the property pool. There are different ways that we can get access to funds, whether it's.

[00:10:51] Making an application to court and getting paid, you know, after that application or using a litigation funder. There is always access to funds if there are assets. And I think it's a big misconception. And again, it's all tied to, you know, it doesn't matter whose name it's in. We can get access to money if there's assets there.

[00:11:08] Molly: Yeah. And I guess as well with superannuation, I think it often surprises people like super can be sometimes people's biggest asset, like it can be more valuable than a property. So how does super get treated in separation and why is it so important, I guess not to overlook it.

[00:11:25] Samantha: Yeah, so superannuation is just like any other asset.

[00:11:28] It can be divided and what we call it as a superannuation split. Mm-hmm. So we can certainly look at it as just like any other asset instead of it being retained by one person. So if one person has all of the super in their fund and the other person has nothing in theirs, because perhaps they were the stay at home parent and generate any superannuation.

[00:11:48] It's a long relationship. Usually the court looks to equalize superannuation to make sure that both parties are leaving this long relationship with a similar retirement fund. And so for some people that's great because they might be nearing retirement age or they don't have any super, and so we can negotiate that.

[00:12:06] And include a superannuation splitting order to move funds from one super fund to the other. The only downside with that is that of course, you can't use super until you retire. Yes. So something that you really need to, we work with, uh, financial advisors so that we can ensure that the clients are actually wanting a super split.

[00:12:26] 'cause sometimes they might want access to cash. If they get super split, that means less cash. So it's really finding out what's the main priority and what they're looking at in the next chapter of their lives.

[00:12:38] Molly: Mm-hmm. And I guess as well, like again, from just hearing like conversations happening around Ladies finance club, a lot of women worry that it's too late to like start over financially again.

[00:12:49] But we do get a lot of women who are starting over financially again, what do you actually see in real life?

[00:12:56] Samantha: It's such a good question because when you're in a relationship for so long, you really lose that sense of identity and who you really are, and you've been doing everything joint, the empowerment I see after a separation where suddenly it's.

[00:13:10] My money. I get to choose where to invest it. I get to have my own accountant and my financial advisor. I get to pick, you know, a self-managed super fund or something. It suddenly shifts this whole mindset of it becoming not so concerning or scary. It's. Actually a whole new chapter of your life that these women get to lead.

[00:13:30] And there's so many stories I've got of, of women who, you know, were so repressed and during the relationship spent nothing, you know, because they weren't allowed and then suddenly found out there's all this money that they're able that's now theirs and they start living their, their greatest lives after a relationship's ended.

[00:13:48] Molly: Yeah, and what I'll say to anyone listening as well, who. Gets a bit fearful about having money that they then have to manage. It's much easier than it sounds like once you've got some good systems in place, like you'll be living your best life. Don't let that worry you about having to manage the money.

[00:14:05] For sure. I guess, is there like a real life story? Obviously names change that you can share with us, maybe that would inspire someone who's thinking about that separating journey of what happened to them? Yeah,

[00:14:19] Samantha: absolutely. So I. Always think about this lovely lady I had. She was in a long relationship, had adult children, got to the stage of having to care for her, um, elderly parent.

[00:14:31] And then I think it was her 50th birthday, her husband threw a credit card at her and said, go buy something for yourself. And she was like, that's it. You've been not a supportive husband my, the entire marriage. How could you just be, how can you do this at such a moment, you know, age. So that was it. She left him and he.

[00:14:51] He ended up spending all of their money out of the super. It was just horrendous. We went to the trial, it was awful, but she felt so empowered, and even though we got an offer on the doorstep of the trial and it was within the range, she should have accepted it. She said, no, you know what? I've come this far.

[00:15:07] I just wanna say my piece. And she ended up getting the same as what he'd offered her. So it wasn't a great outcome, but she ended up really. Wanting to have her say she really wanted to empower herself. And sure enough, she certainly did. She ended up getting a great settlement and the next time I saw her, which I don't often see clients again after their, their division of property because they, they've moved on, but she came back to me for another legal matter.

[00:15:31] And you know, this was a woman who spent probably $20,000 a year on herself. Nothing. Yeah. You know. Dress and Emma bought clothes. She was always under the thumb. Her husband was the one traveling overseas doing all these great things. And she was so frugal. She came in with brand new clothes, amazing makeup, hair, beautifully done.

[00:15:48] And she said, you know where I'm going Sam? I'm getting on a helicopter with my new boyfriend to an arc showing. And I was like, wow. Now living your best life, which you should have been living for the last, you know, 30 years. And she was, you know, she was in her fifties. Yeah. Scary. And you know, she finally found her voice and she used it and it was amazing.

[00:16:10] It was such a life-changing experience.

[00:16:13] Molly: Oh, good. On her. That just makes me go, you go girl, you go live your best life. But also that it's, it's possible as well. And how often do you hear. Particularly women say like, oh, I just want things to be fair, and what does like fair legally mean? Because, and I know of like actual real life, many real life stories where the women by that stage just wanted out or they were scared or they were just like.

[00:16:40] I don't see it as my money. I just wanna get out of this relationship. But then they're left in a really poor financial situation.

[00:16:46] Samantha: I unfortunately see that a lot with women. They have a much more pragmatic view of what the money's for, and usually it's, no, this is not my money. It's my children's money.

[00:16:55] Yeah. So I'm not gonna waste it on legal fees. I'm not gonna do this. I'm just gonna roll over. Mm-hmm. And it's, I get it. I've got children. I get it. But if it is really for your children, then you should be making sure you've got the right advice. And if you know that advice is sound, you go ahead and you get those funds for your family because it's the one and only opportunity you've got to get a property division from this relationship.

[00:17:21] You've gotta go for it. Mm-hmm. Sometimes, I mean, a lot of the advice is always, you know, resolve it, resolve it, resolve it. But you've gotta resolve it on the right terms. It's not just what's fair, it's what you're actually entitled to. Yeah.

[00:17:34] Molly: And if your partner goes, look, I'm gonna look after you, like, things will be very like fair.

[00:17:42] But we know that people get funny when it comes to money. What are the legalities around like signing a divorce, the physical paper versus the property settlement? Does one need to be done before the other?

[00:17:55] Samantha: Yeah. So what has to happen is you can't. Have a agreement written on a napkin or a piece of paper.

[00:18:02] It has to be a formal property division. If you don't, then there is no agreement that's finding it enforceable. Okay? If you do get divorced or if you are married and you get divorced, that's a legal document saying that you're no longer married and you've got one year. To file to do a property division.

[00:18:20] If you don't, you miss your opportunity, but it's, you've missed your opportunity.

[00:18:25] Molly: Just to recap that, if I was to get divorced and I'm like, oh, he said he'll sort out, we'll sort out the properties stuff like it's just a really busy time. We'll sort it out next year. Next year comes, I'm like, okay, let's sort this out.

[00:18:39] I can actually. Get

[00:18:40] Samantha: nothing. That's right. That's exactly right. And people do drag it out. You know, I've given people advice to drag it out because the timeframe's ticking and if you don't have joint assets. The opportunity disappears. Wow. So you've gotta make sure you deal with it. And I would deal with it as soon as possible.

[00:18:58] Particularly if you've got aging parents who might pass away. It's, you know, a possibility in, in, in this age bracket if you are gonna get an inheritance. You wanna make sure you've done your property settlement with your partner before you get that inheritance. Otherwise, you'll be paying that inheritance, some of it to your ex-partner potentially.

[00:19:15] So there's heaps of reasons why you want to make sure you do a property division and a formal one. Yeah. You also can't divide certain things like superannuation and property without a formal court order, a binding financial agreement. So you really need to formalize it to avoid things like taxes.

[00:19:32] Molly: Yeah, and again, I've heard some horror stories where one of the partners delayed and then got a new partner, and then obviously they're in Defactor, another Defactor relationship, and then they're splitting assets between multiple people, not just one.

[00:19:47] Oh, yeah. Super messy, super messy. Obviously kind of we've, that's kind of the separating part for then people who are going into new relationships. So they've gotten out of a, maybe like just a horrible relationship. They've met someone wonderful, everything's going really well to make sure they don't end up in a similar position if things.

[00:20:08] Do go south. How important is having a prenup or a binding financial agreement?

[00:20:14] Samantha: Yeah, look, it's something that's like an insurance policy. You might never need it, but we've all got car insurance, we've got house insurance. It's worth having. It's a discussion that should be had, certainly before the lawyers get involved because you wanna be talking about that with your partner.

[00:20:29] But it's a hard discussion to have so. I usually say to people, look, if you even get your parents involved in it, if they sort of say to you or your partner, look, I'm not gonna give you any money for a property, or I'm not gonna give you your inheritance, and so you sign one of these BFAs, at least then you've got a, the pressure's kind of taken off because you've got your parents or whoever might be giving you an inheritance as that's maybe a precondition.

[00:20:53] It is a difficult conversation to have, but I think. We're in a different society now. Yeah. You know, we are much more self-reliant and individual and yes, we're still in relationships, but women are working, expected to work and have children. So we are coming into a relationship with assets. We should be entitled to protect them.

[00:21:12] Yeah.

[00:21:13] Molly: And what are some of the red flags, like, I mean, you, you speak to women and men every day who are separating, who are going through divorce. I guess what are some of those kind of like red flags that you hear where you're like, yep, that one, that red flag. That red flag. You, you see them, there's a pattern, like they're coming across multiple relationships.

[00:21:32] What are some of those kind of like pres separating but very obvious red flags that might not be obvious to us?

[00:21:39] Samantha: Yeah, I think it's where your friend circle and family circle starts reducing. Mm-hmm. So if your partner's, you know, isolate, you won't feel it as isolation, but suddenly you haven't spoken to your friends or family in a long time.

[00:21:52] You've moved out of the area, wasn't your choice, but suddenly he's convinced you little things like access to money. Oh, you don't need money, I'll just give you a hundred dollars or $200, whatever it is. Not having, you know, your own mail come to you, you're not having. Your phone's accessible to your partner.

[00:22:08] All those little things start pointing to controlling behavior and they can be very small, but when they're put together, it's the cumulative effect of it. And those really are the warning signs of a, of a bad relationship or something that's going to turn into family violence or coercive control.

[00:22:28] Molly: Yeah.

[00:22:29] And just quickly from the kids' perspective, so when it comes to children in a legal matter, what do you find helps protect kids emotionally during a separation? Keeping them out of it,

[00:22:44] Samantha: keeping them completely out of it. All they should know is that mom and dad are having some discussions. We still love you, and we're working things out together.

[00:22:54] That's really the extent, depending on their rage, but. All the time. That's the extent of what they should be told. There's some fantastic resources out there on the Family Court website. There's child appropriate videos and there's a parenting after separation course that's offered for free at many different organizations to really help parents understand the.

[00:23:14] The ramifications and consequences if you do involve the children, and it might be unintentional, you know, putting notes in your child's bag to the other parent that is involving your, your child. They might see it, they might feel uncomfortable. It might cause fur further conflict because the note hasn't been exchanged.

[00:23:31] You know, minor things like that still can have a big impact. Also, if you can do changeover, so when you are going from one parent to the other. Being able to be cordial with the other parent just saying, hi, how's it going? Not dropping your kid at the end of the driveway, making them walk up to the house by themselves.

[00:23:49] I've seen horrendous impact that has had on children and, and the parent might think it's nothing. They're just dropping them at the end of the driveway. But the long lasting psychological impact of now that. Child feeling abandoned and there's research on it. It sounds like it's nothing. It sounds like it's nothing.

[00:24:07] Just making a kid walk up to the up the driveway by themselves. But some children, it can be a really difficult thing that they really don't overcome for a long time without psychological help.

[00:24:17] Molly: Yeah. I guess after seeing thousands of, well, hundreds, maybe thousands of separations, what would you say to someone who's listening who's in their forties and they are just.

[00:24:27] I'm pretty terrified about starting over again.

[00:24:30] Samantha: Yeah, gosh, I think it would be thousands given it's nearly 20 years in industry. That's a scary thought. But look, what's even scarier is remaining in a relationship that you're not meant to be in. And it's like anything, if it was really, really that bad, no one would do it, which can't be the case.

[00:24:49] People are getting separated every day. I think Australia's, you know, it's 40 odd percent. It's not as high as other places in the world, but certainly. You can definitely get through. It's another chapter in your life. It's just making the decision can be the hardest decision of your heart, of your life, but it can be one of the best decisions you ever make.

[00:25:09] It's really the next chapter of your life if you are really contemplating separating it. Then get advice as to what that would look like, right? And not just legal advice, but financial advice. What would it look like if I didn't have a partner who's might be paying for things? How would I retrain, what would I do for work?

[00:25:28] Asking those questions and working with a financial advisor or people through the Ladies Finance Club to really help coach you on what it looks like. That can be a really helpful way to envisage what your life would be like if you weren't in that relationship.

[00:25:44] Molly: Thank you so much, Samantha, for coming on and sharing all that information.

[00:25:49] For people who would like to get in touch with you, where can they go?

[00:25:53] Samantha: Yep. So the best way, uh, is you can check out our website at uh, www.lewisfamilylawyers.com au, or send me an email at [email protected] au. We've got a team of people available to help. So I do think this is an area where people's lives don't stop.

[00:26:12] Right? So we've just finished the Christmas break and you can't. Be on break. When you're a family lawyer, you've always gotta be available, so at our, with our team, there's always somewhere available to take your call. Love it. Thank you so much. Thanks, Molly.

KEYWORDS

divorce, separation, financial advice, legal rights, women's empowerment, family law, superannuation, property settlement, relationship advice, emotional support