Answers before the first conversation.

Earlier than most people think. The most valuable work happens before an agreement is drafted, while options are still open and every number can still be tested. Many of the women we work with come to us before anyone has filed anything, and some before they have told anyone at all.

No. Our first conversation is confidential, complimentary, and educational. Most people come to us to understand what they own, what a settlement might mean, and what questions to ask — then choose counsel from a more informed position. We are happy to work with the attorney you already have.

Louisiana is a community property state, which generally means the marriage divides what it built rather than what each spouse brought into it. Characterizing property as community or separate — and documenting it in a detailed descriptive list — shapes nearly every number in the settlement, including reimbursement claims and accounts that were commingled during the marriage.

Not always. Two piles of assets that look equal on paper can be very different after taxes, holding costs, and liquidity are considered — a retirement account, a house, and cash are not interchangeable. We show what each option is worth to you after tax and over time, before you agree to anything.

This is the most common question we hear. We test it honestly against one income: mortgage, insurance, taxes, maintenance, and what keeping the home costs you in assets given up elsewhere. Sometimes keeping it works. Sometimes trading it protects you far better.

Support usually has an end date, and that date is where many plans quietly break. We map income and expenses for the years after support stops — including the effect of the children aging out — so nothing arrives as a surprise.

Often yes, and it may be one of the largest assets in the marriage. Splitting a 401(k), IRA, or pension has its own rules and paperwork, and doing it incorrectly can trigger taxes or penalties that were avoidable. We make sure the division is modeled and executed correctly.

A closely held business is usually the hardest asset in the case to value and the easiest to misjudge. We work with valuation professionals, examine the cash flow behind the reported income, and evaluate the difference between what the business is worth on paper and what it can actually pay you.

That is the question underneath all the others. We build a plan for the years ahead — income, expenses, taxes, investments, and the point at which support ends — so you can see your next chapter in real numbers instead of fear.

Before it is urgent. The transfers that go well are the ones where expectations were discussed while everyone was healthy and in the room. Planning early gives you time to align documents, ownership, beneficiaries, and — most importantly — the family's understanding of the plan.

Most disputes come from surprise, not greed. We help families put the reasoning behind the plan into plain language, define roles clearly, and communicate decisions before they take effect, so the next generation inherits a plan rather than an argument.

Nothing irreversible. First understand what you received, how it is titled, and how it is taxed — an inherited IRA, a brokerage account with a stepped-up basis, and real estate all behave differently. Once the picture is clear, decisions get much simpler.

Yes. Coordination is much of the value. We keep the financial plan, the legal documents, and the tax reporting pointed in the same direction, and we will convene the group when a decision touches all three.

The first months are administrative: benefits, titling, beneficiary claims, income sources, and cash flow. We handle the sequence with you, then rebuild the long-term plan for one household rather than two — including the tax-filing changes that follow the year of the loss.

We start with what the business needs to deliver for your life after it, then work backward: valuation range, deal structure, tax exposure, and what the proceeds must produce in income. The goal is a transition that strengthens your whole picture, not just the balance sheet.

There is no single number, but concentration is the risk most owners carry longest. We measure how much of your future depends on one outcome and build liquidity and diversification outside the business so a bad year in the company is not a bad decade for your family.

That is the point of a family office. Entity structure, compensation, retirement plan design, insurance, estate documents, and personal investments interact constantly. We plan them as one system so the decisions stop working against each other.

A multi-family office coordinates the whole financial picture — investments, taxes, estate planning, insurance, business interests, and family communication — rather than managing a portfolio in isolation. Multiple families share the infrastructure, so you get that coordination without staffing a single-family office.

The first conversation has no minimum and no cost. Whether an ongoing relationship makes sense depends on complexity as much as account size, and we will tell you plainly if we are not the right fit.

We are compensated for advice, and we will walk you through exactly how, and any conflicts of interest, in writing before you engage us. Our Form ADV and Form CRS describe our services, fees, and disciplinary history.

When providing investment advisory services we act as a fiduciary and are obligated to act in your best interest. Investment advice is offered through Independent Advisor Alliance, LLC, a registered investment adviser.

Our primary office is in Metairie, Louisiana, with meetings available in New Orleans, Baton Rouge by appointment, and Incline Village, Nevada. Much of our work is done by video and phone, and many clients live outside Louisiana.

Yes. What you share stays with us, and nothing you tell us is sold or shared for marketing. Please avoid sending sensitive account numbers by email until we have a secure channel set up for you.