WIN Divorce Triage
Identify what is important now before tackling long-term financial planning
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time to result
- ~days to results
- Steps
- 5
- Confidence
- 96%
WIN stands for “what's important now” and provides a sequence for handling the financial shock of separation. Instead of immediately designing a complete settlement or investment plan, the adviser first identifies the most urgent threat: interrupted cash flow, housing insecurity, inaccessible assets, custody concerns, or another immediate need. That issue is stabilized before the client moves into detailed negotiations. The method also accounts for trauma and cognitive overload by slowing decisions, supplying reassurance, and postponing irreversible concessions until the client understands the available information and legal context. Once basic needs are secure and the client is emotionally prepared, attention can shift toward taxes, asset division, and the design of a sustainable post-divorce financial life.
Origin
Patrick Kilbain adapted coach Lou Holtz's WIN acronym to the first-stage financial triage of divorce clients on Masters in Business.
Core principles
- 01Address immediate threats before long-term planning
- 02Let the client's present needs determine the first priority
- 03Stabilize basic needs before optimizing assets
- 04Slow the process when trauma or uncertainty impairs judgment
How to run it
- 1
Name the immediate threat
Ask what is creating the greatest present danger or uncertainty, such as lost cash flow, inaccessible assets, housing, or custody.
Pro tip Frame the question as what must be handled first, not what the complete settlement should look like.
Watch out Do not assume the technically largest asset is the client's most urgent concern.
- 2
Clarify the immediate goal
Define what a successful short-term outcome would be for the client before discussing the entire case.
Pro tip Translate a broad wish such as security into a specific near-term requirement.
Watch out Avoid allowing panic to turn an immediate preference into a permanent concession.
- 3
Stabilize basic needs
Address essential cash flow, housing, and access to resources before beginning sophisticated financial planning.
Pro tip Use Maslow's hierarchy as a reminder that basic security precedes optimization.
Watch out Detailed portfolio planning is unlikely to help while the client does not know where they will live or obtain their next dollar.
- 4
Slow irreversible decisions
Inventory missing information and delay agreements or waivers until the client understands their holdings and rights.
Pro tip Explicitly reassure the client that slowing down is a protective action, not indecision.
Watch out Informal agreements made without complete data can surrender valuable rights.
- 5
Advance when the client is ready
Move into taxes, settlement design, and post-divorce planning after immediate needs are stable and the client can engage clearly.
Pro tip Check both financial readiness and emotional readiness.
Watch out Do not force a future-state planning conversation while the client remains in acute crisis.
In the wild
A newly separated client wants to negotiate the entire property settlement immediately, but their spouse has stopped transferring household money. The adviser applies WIN by first documenting near-term expenses, securing access to cash with counsel, and confirming housing stability. Only after the immediate shortfall is controlled does the team evaluate retirement accounts, taxes, and the final asset split.
→ The client avoids negotiating under financial duress and can evaluate the settlement with greater clarity.
Common mistakes
Planning the future before stabilizing today
Jumping directly into investments and long-term goals ignores urgent needs that prevent the client from making sound decisions.
Negotiating with incomplete information
A spouse who does not know the full extent of the household assets may agree to terms without understanding what is being waived.
Treating trauma as ordinary indecision
Pressure to move quickly can compound confusion when the client needs reassurance and time to process the situation.
Is it for you?
Best for
People in the first days or weeks of a separation who face uncertainty about cash flow, housing, custody, or access to assets.
Not ideal for
It is not a substitute for legal advice, formal asset valuation, or detailed post-divorce financial planning.
From the transcript
“You know, I'm a big fan of coach Lou Holtz and he has an acronym WIN.”
“It stands for what's important now.”
“So we have to sort of satisfy that bottom level of Maslow's hierarchy of needs before we can even get into that financial planning conversation.”
From the episode
At The Money: The Finances of Divorce