Zielinski provides divorcing couples with financial options

By: MaryBeth Matzek, Special to the Wisconsin Law Journal//May 29, 2018//

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Grant Zielinski knows he needs to do a little explaining when responding to the question: What do you do for a living?

Zielinski, a certified divorce financial analyst at Divorce Financial Solutions LLC in Milwaukee, said few people have heard of professionals in his line of work or know what they do.

“The certification was only created in the early 2000s,” he said. “We are often brought into divorce cases by attorneys to provide information so clients can make well-informed decisions.”

Zielinski and his father, Garrick, started Divorce Financial Solutions in 2005. Garrick Zielinski had already retired but was looking for ways to stay active. One thing he dabbled in was providing financial information to people going through divorces. Grant Zielinski was a recent graduate of the University of Northern Iowa and loved the idea of going into business with his father.

“We provide neutral information – it’s not advice – and we meet with the couple and their attorneys to go over the options and explain how their needs can be met and how what we present relates to taxes,” said Grant Zielinski, who took over the firm when his father retired last year. “The clients then take that information and make a decision.”

Taxes figure into a lot of what Zielinski does.

“Much of what we do is about taxes and trying to help clients keep as much as they can,” he said.

The changes to the tax laws have made Zielinski’s work considerably more difficult. He reads as much as he can about taxes so he understands how the rule changes are likely to affect his clients.

Zielinski also gives presentations discussing taxes and negotiations between divorcing clients.

“I do a lot of reading and work hard to stay up-to-date on everything,” he said.

Couples from all sorts of backgrounds seek out advice from Zielinski.

“A large majority of my clients have assets, but are cash-poor,” he said. “Low-income couples with a lot of debt also need help as well.”

Zielinski said his firm handles a large number of cases; 1,000 were opened last year alone.

“I normally have 80 clients at a time,” he said. “I meet with clients two or three times at most and do some work outside of those meetings. The work is done in normally four to six months.”

GETTING TO KNOW ZIELINSKI

Wisconsin Law Journal: What do you enjoy most about your work?

Grant Zielinski: The problem-solving aspect. Sometimes, it’s hard to find something enjoyable when working in the divorce industry, but I do enjoy the challenge of finding solutions for a family.

When I get information about a case, it’s like a puzzle and I need to find multiple ways to put it together.

WLJ: What do people get wrong about what you do?

Zielinski: I think clients often think I will be like a financial advisor, which is a very different profession. I don’t provide advice; I provide neutral information. I don’t provide clients with a financial plan. I simply talk to them about their options and their interests and help quantify and illustrate what those options would look like. We work through them together to establish an outcome that best suits their needs and wants. For example, I don’t tell people they cannot afford to keep the house. I say, “If you wanted to keep the house, here is what you would need to do and how it would look.” Then, I let them make their own choice if that outcome is a good financial decision for them.

WLJ: Do you have a mentor?

Zielinski: Without a doubt my mentor would be my father Garrick Zielinski, who has been in this business for a long time. There are others that I admire and have learned quite a lot from. Sue Hansen is an attorney and taught me a lot about the legal field. I admire her vision and her genuine concern for her clients. Carol Ann Wilson, a (certified divorce financial analyst) working in Colorado, is a leader in the industry and I have learned a lot from her on how to market and build a business around this growing profession.

WLJ: What do you do to get away from the stress of the office?

Zielinski: I have a wife and four young children: Harper 7, Logan 5, Grady 4 and Everett 2. My time outside of work is often spent with my family. They keep me busy most of the time. When I can get away, I love to golf. I also help run a youth football program during the fall. (Zielinski played football at Northern Iowa.)

WLJ: What is a challenge you deal with in your job?

Zielinski: I think one of the main challenges is the growing number of pro se divorces. There are so many resources out there and so much information that many people believe they can go through a divorce on their own. For some, that may be true, but for most they would really benefit from having an understanding of the financial options and how those options will impact their future. The challenge is getting the divorce industry to see value in the work that we do so instead of thinking of a CDFA as a specialist used only when needed, thinking of a CDFA as a core piece of every divorce process.

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