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Certified Divorce Financial Analyst® (CDFA®) professionals Certification Success Stories
Onward. Upward.
A number of Divorce Financial Analyst professional candidates who have successfully passed their CDFA exams have gone on to achieve tremendous successes. It is our pleasure to introduce you to a few of them now.
Susan Plisch:
“The CDFA® designation shows that my firm is committed to excellence and ongoing education,” Susan says.
When a client named “Jane” came to Susan Plisch in a panic, the stakes were high. Jane had just learned her soon-to-be ex had stepped down from a leadership role. This dramatically reduced her anticipated child support and maintenance.
With no recent pay stub available, Susan reverse-engineered a realistic income estimate based on other documentation. She proved that only a modest reduction in support was warranted. Then, she redesigned the pension division strategy to preserve Jane’s retirement options.
Jane’s stress dissolved into relief. She’s now staying in her home, and has become an advocate for CDFA professionals. She shares her experience with others facing divorce.
“In most cases, the savings and clarity I help create more than cover my fee. Often, many times over. One client’s final settlement improved by over 200x what she paid me.”
- Susan Plisch, CDFA®, Resilient Divorce Solutions
Diane Pappas
After 18 years as a stay-at-home mom, Diane Pappas went through a difficult divorce that changed everything. “If I didn’t become a CDFA® after my own divorce, I would be nowhere,” she says.
That turning point became the launchpad for a new career. Diane earned her CDFA designation, built her own firm, and in time, received the IDFA Lifetime Achievement Award. “I went from a stay-at-home mom to a Lifetime Achievement Award winner. It took me 14 years, but I did it. I’ve never looked back.”
Today, she helps clients, especially women, gain clarity and confidence during divorce. “Most of my clients tell me they could never have gone through the process without my help,” Diane says. “Once I get involved, I get the case rolling. Now there is concrete information to settle based on financial fact, not just emotions.”
She’s also clear on the role of the CDFA in a legal process. “Most attorneys lack this type of financial expertise. If someone doesn’t work with a CDFA, I fear they’ll receive less than what they’re entitled to.”
For Diane, financial empowerment is the foundation of recovery. “Women need to know they’re going to be okay. The only way to do that is through accurate financial analysis.”
- Diane Pappas, CDFA®, Certified QDRO Specialist, Mediator, Owner, Solutions For Divorce LLC
Sharon Count:
After going through her own 10.5-year litigated divorce, including two trials and an appellate court appeal, Sharon Count made a major shift. She retooled her career, became a financial advisor, then earned her CDFA® and Certified Divorce Mediator credentials to help others navigate what she had once endured herself.
“My work as a CDFA is a large part of my daily practice,” she says. “I use it in divorce mediation, litigation support, and post-divorce financial planning.” Over the past decade, she’s mediated more than 450 cases and built a practice designed around clarity, stability, and financial empowerment.
In one complex case, Sharon worked with a couple with over $6 million in marital assets, including RSUs, ISOs, private equity, crypto, and multiple retirement vehicles. “The wife was a yoga teacher,” Sharon explains. “These investment types were completely foreign to her.” Sharon broke down the structure of each asset and presented options for division that both parties could understand and agree on.
“This is an area where clients are emotionally vulnerable and sometimes paralyzed in decision-making,” she says. “All they want to know is if they’re going to be okay.” For Sharon, that’s where the CDFA® designation makes the biggest difference; it helps people make informed choices during one of life’s most overwhelming transitions.
- Sharon Count, CDFA®, Certified Divorce Mediator, Center for Divorce Resolution
John Duffy:
"The Certified Divorce Financial Analyst designation is the entire key to my success. Without it, I would not have been qualified to help hundreds of divorcing couples across the country through one of the most challenging times of their life.
I did not realize at the time it would entirely replace my wealth management practice with something I found more personally and professionally fulfilling."
- John Duffy, CDFA®, Founder, Zen Divorce Solutions
Marguerita (Rita) Cheng:
“With the CDFA® credential, I developed specialized knowledge to help my clients reach an equitable resolution and maintain financial stability and security. The CDFA® credential provides credibility and trust.
- Marguerita (Rita) Cheng, CFP® CDFA®, Chief Executive Officer at Blue Ocean Global Wealth
Eileen Stoner:
"A CDFA® professional is an important part of your divorce team who can help you build the financial foundation for success in your next chapter of life.
By focusing on this specialty, my team has seen net new asset growth exponentially over the last 5 years."
- Eileen Stoner, CRPC®, CDFA®, Executive Director, Financial Advisor, Morgan Stanley Wealth Management
Megan Kern:
“I chose the CDFA® designation because I saw how much clients and attorneys needed specialized guidance through the financial complexities of divorce. It wasn’t enough to just run the numbers; I wanted to help people truly understand the long-term impact of their financial decisions. Now, as a forensic accountant and CDFA® professional, I bridge the gap between legal strategy and financial reality. Whether I’m helping attorneys build court-ready cases or walking clients through cash flow projections, the CDFA® lens brings clarity and confidence to every step of the process.”
“In one case, my client was ready to accept a settlement that looked fair on paper, but would have left her financially unstable. Her spouse had stock options, retirement accounts, and a small business, and the proposed division ignored tax impact, liquidity, and future income risks. I broke down the actual post-tax values, projected her long-term cash flow, and helped the legal team negotiate a more secure outcome. Instead of illiquid equity, she received a buyout, kept the home, and gained spousal support that matched her needs. That’s what CDFA® professionals do: we protect futures, not just today’s numbers.”
- Megan Kern, CDFA®, Forensic Accountant, Kern Forensics, LLC
Brenda Bridges:
“When I went through my own divorce, I realized how few professionals truly understood the long-term financial implications of the decisions being made. That experience led me to pursue the CDFA® designation, not just to run numbers, but to bring strategy and insight to people making life-altering choices. Today, as a CDFA® professional at Bridging Divorce Solutions, the designation is central to everything I do. It adds credibility and precision to my work, whether I’m mediating, collaborating with legal teams, or reviewing settlement proposals.”
“One client came to me mid-mediation after being told by her attorney to ‘just take the $80,000 and be grateful you’re getting anything.’ Something didn’t sit right, so she brought me in. After reviewing the disclosures, I identified she was likely entitled to over $500,000. My analysis completely shifted the trajectory of the negotiation—and her financial future. Without the CDFA® lens, she would have walked away with a drastically undervalued settlement. This designation isn’t just helpful—it’s transformative.”
- Brenda Bridges, CDFA®, Mediator, CDC
Danielle Darling:
“Too often, people make emotional or rushed financial decisions during divorce and it can cost them dearly. I chose the CDFA® designation because I wanted to offer more than just generic advice. This training equips me to walk clients through the financial side of divorce with clarity and confidence. It’s not just about numbers it’s about protecting people from being shortchanged, and helping them feel empowered during one of life’s hardest transitions.”
“I’ll never forget a recent client a woman overwhelmed by the process, unsure of her financial future. Through patient education, budgeting support, and scenario planning, I helped her go from fearful to financially confident. She walked away with a fair settlement and a solid plan for moving forward. That’s the power of the CDFA® designation. It gives us the tools to truly make a difference.”
- Danielle Darling, CDFA®, Financial Advisor, LPL Financial
Nancy Hetrick:
"My CDFA Designation has become the primary focus of my business. I actually exited my financial planning practice and now focus 100% on assisting parties going through a divorce. Since I gained my credential in 2011, my divorce revenues have multiplied by10X. Like so many of us, my own divorce experience compelled me to help others go through a divorce in a better way. If this work is calling you, listen to that call! There are millions and millions of couples in this country that desperately need our help. I highly encourage those that feel the calling to dive in with both feet and make it the primary focus of their business. For financial advisors, these clients will roll through to the wealth practice in a much more predictable AUM increase each year than if you were marketing in the traditional way. Go big!"
- Nancy Hetrick, CDFA®, CEO & Founder, Smarter Divorce Solutions
Jen Schimbeno:
"The CDFA designation has been helpful in multiple ways. First and foremost, I feel like I am much more equipped to assist clients and have a greater depth of knowledge to guide them through the divorce transition. Additionally, I have gained additional credibility with local and national attorneys. This has been crucial in my ability to set myself apart from other advisors who do not have the CDFA credential. You will not regret obtaining this designation, The amount of support you can provide to clients is profound. With the amount of divorce in our country, we owe it to our communities to bring this knowledge to our local marketplaces. I chose IDFA because they have a great reputation and their staff is incredibly helpful throughout the process."
- Jen Schimbeno, Co-Founder, Parent Team
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