Most financial advisors help clients build wealth. My work begins when that wealth is at risk.
Divorce is one of the most financially consequential events a household can face. For business owners, executives, and affluent families looking for a divorce financial planner on Long Island, the financial decisions made during divorce — which assets to keep, how to structure a settlement, how to evaluate what's actually being offered — have consequences that persist for decades.
I founded Derryrush Wealth Management to fill a gap that most general financial advisors are not equipped to address: the complex financial analysis required when a high-net-worth marriage ends.
What I Do
As a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst® (CDFA®), I specialize in financial modeling and settlement analysis for complex divorce cases across Long Island. My work sits at the intersection of financial strategy and legal negotiation — providing the quantitative analysis that attorneys and their clients need to evaluate proposed settlement terms accurately.
That means understanding that two investment portfolios with identical balances can have materially different after-tax values. That a $700,000 traditional 401(k) and a $700,000 Roth IRA are not economically equivalent. That equitable distribution analysis requires more than comparing account balances — it requires modeling what each spouse actually receives in economic terms after taxes, liquidity constraints, and long-term financial implications are accounted for. That the financial decisions made before the settlement is final are far more consequential than those made after.
I work with:
Divorcing individuals — business owners, executives, and professionals in Nassau County and Suffolk County who need independent financial analysis of their settlement options.
Divorce attorneys — Long Island family law attorneys who bring me into complex cases to model settlement scenarios, quantify after-tax asset values, and provide the financial analysis their clients need to make informed decisions.
What I Am Not
I am not a divorce attorney and I do not provide legal advice. My role is financial analysis — modeling the economic implications of proposed settlement terms, not advising on legal strategy or rights. The attorney manages the legal process. I provide the financial foundation on which settlement decisions are built.
Why This Work
Divorce financial mistakes are rarely obvious. They are embedded in the way assets are compared, valued, and allocated — visible only to someone who has done the analysis. My commitment is to make sure the financial picture is accurate before settlement terms become final.
The families I work with on Long Island deserve settlements that reflect economic reality, not nominal balance comparisons. That is the mission.
James F. Connolly, CDFA® Practitioner
Founder, Derryrush Wealth Management LLC
West Sayville, New York
