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Financial Neutral

Course Director + The One Who Surfaces the Truth
CFP, CDFA, fee-only financial planner. You lead Meeting 2, surface the credit card discrepancies in Meeting 3, present Robotic Roughneck findings in Meeting 4, and build the settlement framework in Meeting 5. You co-created all the materials.

Your Dual Role

As Financial Neutral

You present the Norris estate to the room. Every financial revelation passes through you. The underwater house, the trust, the QOZ tax bomb, the spending discrepancies, the credit cards, Robotic Roughneck, the gold. You're the one pulling threads that unravel Tommy's careful concealment.

As Course Director

Opening remarks with Cristi. Icebreaker bingo at breakfast. You co-created every document, every spreadsheet, every financial scenario. You and Cristi run the day together. You lead the case autopsy with your two evaluation tools.

Financial Concepts You Present

W-2 salary + production bonuses
ExxonMobil pension (coverture fraction)
RSUs (premarital vested/unvested)
QOZ investment + Dec 31, 2026 deadline
Household budget ($30-50K/month)
83(b) election implications
Oil & gas lease valuation
Robotic Roughneck LLC acquisition

Your Key Responsibilities

  • Lead Meeting 2 entirely — Walk the room through Tommy's compensation structure, the estate, the hidden complexity
  • Surface credit card discrepancies (Meeting 3) — The numbers don't add up. $90K, not $42K. You flag it professionally.
  • Present Robotic Roughneck findings (Meeting 4) — You've done the digging. The LLC is about to be acquired. The payout is attributable to the marriage.
  • Build settlement framework (Meeting 5) — Pension division, ESOP, QOZ handling, maintenance modeling
  • Lead case autopsy — Present Team Alignment Check-In and Case Autopsy Sheet tools (Absent/Inconsistent/Consistent/Exemplary scale)
  • Yield the floor when emotions surface — When Angela cries about the house (M2), step back for Carol. Resume when Carol signals.

Your Emotional Arc

M2

Meeting 2 — Your Showcase

This is YOUR meeting. You walk the room through Tommy's labyrinthine finances: the salary, the production bonuses, the Exxon pension with premarital contributions, the RSUs, the QOZ with its December 2026 deadline, the household spending. You present complex information clearly, without triggering shutdown. When Angela cries about the house, you yield the floor to Carol for emotional processing — then resume when she signals it's okay. This interplay between financial content and emotional processing is the primary teaching moment.

M3

Meeting 3 — Flagging the Discrepancies

During option generating, you surface the credit card numbers. The disclosed amount was $42K. Your analysis shows $90K across undisclosed accounts — balance transfers, new cards. You present this professionally, without accusation, but the implication is clear: the financial picture is incomplete. This is one of the catalysts for Angela's blow-up.

M4

Meeting 4 — Deeper Findings

You present what you've found since Meeting 3: Robotic Roughneck LLC and its pending acquisition, the gold purchases, the 83(b) election implications. Tommy doesn't fight it — the litigation consult broke his resistance. You're thorough but not punitive. The audience sees a financial neutral doing her job with precision and compassion.

M5

Meeting 5 — Settlement Framework + Case Autopsy

You build the settlement framework: pension division (coverture fraction), ESOP considerations, QOZ handling (the tax bomb), maintenance modeling. Then, after clients exit, you lead the case autopsy with your two tools: the Team Alignment Check-In and the Case Autopsy Sheet. The Absent/Inconsistent/Consistent/Exemplary scale gives the audience a concrete framework they can take home.

Your Schedule

TimeWhatYou
8:00 – 9:10Breakfast + OpeningIcebreaker bingo. Opening remarks with Cristi.
9:10 – 10:30Meeting 2: Financial Walk-AroundYOU LEAD THIS MEETING. Estate presentation. Yield to Carol for emotions.
10:30 – 10:50BreakOff stage
10:50 – 12:30Meeting 3: Option Generating + Blow-UpAt the table. Surface credit card discrepancies ($90K not $42K).
12:30 – 1:30LunchOff stage
~1:30Litigation ConsultOff stage (Angela's scene)
~1:40Child Specialist OpinionOff stage (pre-recorded video)
~1:50 – 3:00Meeting 4: Evaluate OptionsPresent deeper findings: LLC, gold, 83(b). Build toward settlement.
3:00 – 3:20BreakOff stage
3:20 – 4:30Meeting 5: Negotiate & SettleSettlement framework: pension, ESOP, QOZ, maintenance modeling.
4:30 – 5:00Case AutopsyLead after-action with Team Alignment Check-In + Case Autopsy Sheet.

Key Moments to Nail

Meeting 2 — Presenting without triggering shutdown.

Tommy's finances are a maze: salary, bonuses, pension, RSUs, QOZ, spending. Angela doesn't speak this language. The audience is watching how you present complex financial information to a room where one client is an expert and the other is lost. Clear, patient, visual where possible. This is the primary financial teaching moment of the day.

Meeting 2 — Yielding to Carol.

When Angela cries about the house, you step back. You don't try to comfort her — that's Carol's role. You don't rush to the next topic. You wait. When Carol signals, you resume. The audience sees that financial content and emotional processing aren't competing — they're choreographed.

Meeting 3 — The credit card flag.

"The disclosed amount was $42,000. Our analysis shows approximately $90,000 across accounts that weren't in the initial disclosure." Professional. Factual. Not accusatory. But the room shifts when you say it.

Meeting 4 — Robotic Roughneck.

You present the LLC findings. Tommy knows you know. The audience sees a financial neutral who did her homework — thorough, precise, but not punitive. You're surfacing truth, not assigning blame.

Case Autopsy — Leading the debrief.

After clients exit, you present the two evaluation tools. The Team Alignment Check-In and the Case Autopsy Sheet give the audience concrete frameworks. The Absent/Inconsistent/Consistent/Exemplary scale is something they can use in their own cases tomorrow.

Your Documents

DOCX
Storyline Outline
Full day narrative — your map
DOCX
Story Concept & Arc
Character bios and case background
DOCX
Meeting 2 Agenda
YOUR meeting — Financial Estate Walk-Around
DOCX
Meeting 3 Script
Blow-up, de-escalation, litigation consult
XLSX
Property Division Workbook
The complete financial picture — your primary tool
XLSX
Financial Estate Model
Norris family financial modeling
DOCX
QOZ White Paper
Qualified Opportunity Zones in divorce — the tax bomb
DOCX
QOZ Texas Research Memo
Texas-specific QOZ divorce implications
DOCX
Oil & Gas Lease
Norris Permian Ventures lease document

Notes for Jennifer

Meeting 2 is YOUR meeting. The way you present complex financial information without triggering shutdown is the primary financial teaching moment of the entire CLE. Angela doesn't speak finance. Tommy speaks it fluently and uses that fluency to control. Your job is to level the playing field — make the numbers accessible without dumbing them down.

When Angela cries about the house, yield the floor to Carol for emotional processing. Don't try to comfort her yourself — that's not your role. Wait for Carol's signal, then resume. The audience needs to see this choreography between financial content and emotional processing. It's not a disruption. It's the model.

The credit card flag in Meeting 3 should be delivered with precision, not drama. "$42,000 disclosed. $90,000 found." The facts do the work. The audience learns that the financial neutral's job includes finding what wasn't volunteered.

The case autopsy is your final teaching gift. The Team Alignment Check-In and Case Autopsy Sheet are tools the audience can take home and use in their next case. Present them clearly. The Absent/Inconsistent/Consistent/Exemplary scale should feel practical, not academic.