Do you know the entire financial story of your marriage?

Well, you’d better. Because you’re going to be fighting for half of it. And if you don’t know what it is, then how are you going to know what money you are entitled to?

Some women (and men) hate dealing with money. They hate thinking about it. They hate talking about it. They hate dealing with it. They think it’s evil. Or vulgar. Or mysterious.

Is this you? If it is, then we need to switch your mindset. It’s just energy. It comes and it goes. It is not the root of all evil. In fact, the expression actually is, “The love of money is the root of all evil.” Not money itself. It’s been misquoted for so long, that now people believe that money is evil. It’s not.

Money is a necessity.

It’s how our society works. It’s what we use to get shelter, food, clothes and everything else essential to our existence. It’s not ugly or rude. So stop thinking of it that way. The more money you have, the more good you can do in the world. The more you can donate. The more people you can hire who need jobs. The more you can stimulate the economy. Money is a good thing.

So don’t stick your head in the sand when it comes to your finances.

Get curious. (If you’re already in the thick of divorce, you’d better get curious fast!) Know everything about what money comes into your household, what money goes out, what is owed, and what is invested.

Once you have all of this information, organize it. Create ledgers and spreadsheets. Make tracking your expenses a game. Set goals for your savings. Find a way to make it fun.

Now you have a head-of-household mindset. And you will know EXACTLY what it is you are entitled to.