When divorce puts the future of your home into question, the biggest risk is making decisions before you fully understand your options.

In this episode, I sit down with Stacey Ellison, Certified Divorce Lending Professional and Divorce Mortgage Planner at Divorce Mortgage Solutions, to walk through how mortgage planning, settlement language, and income rules can shape what is actually possible when it comes to keeping a home.

We talk through how assets, support payments, and loan strategies factor into qualification, especially for women navigating this transition later in life. We also address the emotional pull of the family home and how to balance that with long-term financial stability.

Key takeaways:

• Why divorce mortgage planning should happen before the settlement agreement is finalized
• How settlement language can affect whether support, assets, or other funds count as qualifying income
• What options may be available when someone wants to keep the house, including loan assumptions, FHA, and asset depletion strategies
• Why emotions around the marital home can lead to costly decisions if long-term affordability is not considered
• How women going through gray divorce can use retirement income, Social Security, and other assets to qualify more effectively
• And more!

Resources:

• Get Your FREE Simply Retirement Roadmap
• 2026 Tax and Retirement Planning Cheat Sheet

Connect with Eric Blake:

• www.TheSimplyRetirementPodcast.com
• Join the Simply Retirement Newsletter
• Ask a Question or Suggest a Topic for the Podcast
• Blake Wealth Management
• YouTube

Connect with Stacey Ellison:

• (908) 229-2705
• LinkedIn: Stacey Ellison
• Website: Divorce Mortgage Solutions
• Instagram: Divorce Mortgage Solutions
• Facebook: Stacey Ellison, Certified Divorce Lending Professional

About our Guest:

Stacey Ellison, CDLP®, is a Certified Divorce Lending Professional and Divorce Mortgage Planner with a deep understanding of the financial complexities that arise during and after divorce. With over 30 years of experience in the mortgage industry, Stacey brings a unique blend of technical knowledge and compassionate guidance to individuals navigating one of life’s most challenging transitions.

Since earning her CDLP® designation in 2020, Stacey has worked closely with family law attorneys, mediators, financial planners, and other divorce professionals to provide strategic mortgage guidance tailored to each client’s needs. Her role is to ensure that both parties in a divorce understand their options when it comes to home equity, mortgage qualification, and long-term housing goals. Whether helping a client determine if they can keep the marital home, qualify for a new mortgage, or explore equitable buyout solutions, Stacey provides clarity, structure, and confidence in the decision-making process. Her goal is to help divorcing homeowners make sound financial choices that support both their immediate needs and long-term stability.

When life feels noisy, the real issue is not always a lack of time; it is often a lack of clarity.

The biggest decisions in life rarely get solved by doing more. They get solved by cutting through the clutter, focusing on what matters most, and taking one small step at a time.

In this episode, I talk with Jill Beck, founder of Go Long, about why so many women stay stuck during major life transitions and how accountability, clarity, and small actions can help them move forward. Jill shares her own path out of high-pressure corporate life, why women often put themselves last, and how her text-based coaching helps make hard changes feel more manageable.

Key takeaways:

• How Jill’s health journey and corporate experience led her to help women through major transitions
• Why fear, perfection, and helping others can keep women from facing the changes they need to make
• How text-based accountability can make hard decisions feel more manageable
• The value of narrowing your focus, understanding your why, and being willing to get uncomfortable
• Why breaking a big task into smaller steps can reduce overwhelm and create momentum
• And more!

Resources:

• Get Your FREE Simply Retirement Roadmap
• Ultimate Guide to Women’s Social Security Success

Connect with Eric Blake:

• www.TheSimplyRetirementPodcast.com
• Join the Simply Retirement Newsletter
• Ask a Question or Suggest a Topic for the Podcast
• Blake Wealth Management
• YouTube

Connect with Jill Beck:

• LinkedIn: Jill Beck
• Website: Go Long
• Instagram: @justgolong
• Substack: Go Long
• YouTube: Go Long

About our Guest:

Jill Beck worked at one of the top investment banks, traveled extensively, and built what many would describe as a dream career.

Behind the scenes, she was exhausted, overwhelmed, and neglecting her own well-being. She was working 90+ hour weeks, skipping meals, relying heavily on Diet Coke, and getting very little sleep.

Even after being diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, she continued pushing forward. She told herself she would focus on her health when things slowed down, but that moment never came.

It was not until she reached a breaking point that she realized something had to change. She began making small, intentional adjustments, focusing on what she could do instead of trying to meet every expectation at once.

Today, at 53, she is in the best shape of her life. She takes active vacations with her husband, hikes regularly, and wakes up feeling energized about her day.

What made the difference was not a complete overhaul overnight. It came from simplifying, focusing, and creating space for herself without guilt.

Now, she helps others take a similar approach through practical, personalized steps that align with their life, goals, and priorities.

Many women approaching retirement worry that Social Security may not be there when they need it most. That uncertainty can make retirement planning feel overwhelming.

But what do the numbers actually say?

In this episode, I break down the real projections behind Social Security and what they mean for women approaching retirement. I explain why benefits are not expected to disappear, how potential reductions could work, and how to plan conservatively without making decisions based on fear. Most importantly, I walk through how Social Security fits into the broader retirement income puzzle.

Key Points:

• Why Social Security is projected to continue paying benefits even if the trust fund faces depletion
• What the projected 81% funding level actually means for future benefits
• Why Social Security remains a foundational piece of retirement income for many women
• How to stress test your retirement plan with a possible 20% benefit reduction
• How Social Security should fit into your broader retirement income strategy
• And more!

Resources:

• Get Your FREE Simply Retirement Roadmap
• What’s New with Social Security? 8 Topics to Watch in 2026
• The 2025 OASDI Trustees Report

Connect with Eric Blake:

• www.TheSimplyRetirementPodcast.com
• Join the Simply Retirement Newsletter
• Ask a Question or Suggest a Topic for the Podcast
• Blake Wealth Management
• YouTube