Modern Family Matters

Send us Fan Mail Divorce can leave you holding a stack of statements and a knot in your stomach, wondering what you actually own, what it means, and whether retirement is still possible. We sit down with Jesse Hurst, a CPA and Chartered Financial Analyst, to talk through the real-world money decisions that hit right after a divorce and how to replace fear with a plan you can live with. Jesse’s twi...

Send us Fan Mail Divorce can feel like stepping into a fog where every rumor sounds like fact: you will lose the house, you will be broke, the case will drag on for years, and the court will air every private detail. Steve Altishin sits down with Founding Attorney Lewis Landerholm to name the concerns people bring to an initial divorce consultation and to explain what’s real, what’s misunderstood,...

Send us Fan Mail Retirement planning can feel like a wall of jargon and spreadsheets, so we brought in someone who makes the numbers feel human. CPA and Certified Divorce Financial Analyst Jesse Hurst joins us to break down how to start retirement financial planning at any age and why the first step is not picking investments. It is getting honest about where you are today, then turning “someday I...

Send us Fan Mail Your business is not “just an asset.” For a lot of owners, it’s years of risk, late nights, pride, and a sense of security for the future. That’s why business ownership in an Oregon divorce can turn into one of the most intense parts of the entire case, and why the wrong assumption early on can cost you later. We sit down with Lewis Landerholm to map out what actually needs to be...

Send us Fan Mail Five assets keep showing up when divorcing couples hit a wall, and the reason is almost never just emotion. It is value. I sit down with founding attorney Lewis Landerholm to unpack why retirement accounts, the marital home, business interests, investment portfolios, and valuable personal property become the flashpoints in divorce and family law cases, especially when each asset c...

Send us Fan Mail A “high-value asset” is not the same thing as a “high-value check,” and that gap can wreck a divorce settlement. We sit down with Professor Kelly Lise Murray, a wealth dispute resolution educator and real estate collaboration divorce specialist, to unpack the assets that look impressive on a spreadsheet but become brutally complicated the moment you try to divide or sell them. We...

Send us Fan Mail Divorce can flip your financial life overnight, especially if you were not the person paying the bills, tracking accounts, or managing investments. We sit down with Ryan Finley, CPA and Certified Divorce Financial Analyst, to map out what a real “ground zero” financial reset looks like and how to replace panic with a clear plan you can actually follow. We start with the basics tha...

Send us Fan Mail Money problems in divorce are rarely about “one weird transaction.” They’re about complexity: multiple accounts, transfers that look harmless until you see the full trail, business income that blends into personal spending, and documents that do not tell the whole story. We bring in CPA, Certified Divorce Financial Analyst, and mediator Ryan Finley to show what forensic accounting...

Send us Fan Mail Spousal support in Oregon sounds simple until you’re the one trying to predict what a judge will do and what a “fair” monthly number really means. We sit down with Pacific Cascade Legal's Founding Attorney, Lewis Landerholm, to clear up the confusion by breaking spousal support into the three categories Oregon courts actually use: maintenance support, transitional support, an...

Send us Fan Mail Divorce decisions are rarely made in a calm, rational bubble. When fear hits, money can turn into leverage, conflict can become a reflex, and old power dynamics can keep running the show even after you decide the marriage is over. We sit down with negotiation professor and mediation coach Merideth Thompson, Ph. D. to unpack the real drivers behind “bad deals” in divorce and how to...

Send us Fan Mail Not every marriage ends in a divorce—and not every separation means the same thing. This episode of Modern Family Matters explores the significant differences between annulments, divorces, and legal separations—three distinct ways marriages can be dissolved.  Host Steve Altishin and Founding Attorney Lewis Landerholm explain that annulments are increasingly rare in modern law beca...

Send us Fan Mail One of the biggest surprises in divorce? The law often assumes equal contribution, even when one spouse earned the paycheck and the other carried the invisible labor. This episode of Modern Family Matters explores the critical distinctions between marital and separate property in divorce proceedings, with particular emphasis on how these principles apply to business assets.  Host...

Send us Fan Mail Just like baseball, divorce has curveballs, foul balls, and unexpected plays. We sit down with Founding Attorney, Lewis Landerholm, to discuss the parallels between baseball and divorce, centering on the importance of keeping your eyes on the ball throughout the divorce process. They explore how setting clear priorities and goals from the outset helps clients navigate the often le...

Send us Fan Mail ⚾️ “It ain’t over ’til it’s over.” — Yogi Berra In baseball, you don’t know the game is done until the last out is made. And in divorce? The same is often true. In this interview with Founding Attorney, Lewis Landerholm, we break down why divorce isn’t always “over” when you think it is, what typically happens next, and how to avoid surprises during the final stretch. Lewis and S...

Send us Fan Mail Join us as we sit down with Enrolled Agent, and Founder of Golden Lion Tax Solutions, Morgan Q. Anderson, to discuss the immense financial benefits of taking the time to understand the relationship between taxes and family law matters. The conversation covers joint tax liability, innocent spouse claims, strategic asset liquidation, capital gains considerations, and the importance...

Send us Fan Mail Join us as we sit down with Marriage & Family Therapist, Laurel van der Toorn, to discuss what you can do when a pending or active divorce starts to drudge up suppressed trauma for the high achiever.  Laurel explains how EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) therapy works to help people process traumatic memories and heal attachment wounds. The conversation expl...

Send us Fan Mail Join us as we sit down with Psychologist, Dr. Jack Stoltzfus, to talk about launching your child into adult life, ranging from whose responsibility it is, to the characteristics of a successfully launched child. Dr. Stoltzfus shares his expertise on navigating the delicate balance between supporting adult children and encouraging their self-sufficiency, while maintaining caring co...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Steve Altishin speaks with Speaker and Author of Financial Epiphany, Scott Yamamura, about making personal finance accessible and actionable through simple principles.  Scott introduces the concept of "the power of 16," explaining how money can multiply over a 40-year career when invested early. He breaks down complex financial concepts like compound int...

Send us Fan Mail In this insightful conversation, Steve Titian from Pacific Cascade Legal speaks with Dr. Bruce Chalmer, a couples therapist with over 30 years of experience, about the complex dynamics of betrayal, forgiveness, and rebuilding trust in relationships.  Dr. Chalmer explains that betrayal uniquely hurts because it not only involves someone breaking our trust, but also causes us to dou...

Send us Fan Mail Join us as we sit down with Psychologist and Author, Gloria Vanderhorst, to discuss how our early histories can jump into the present without our awareness and undermine our interactions with our children and co-parenting abilities. Gloria, who has practiced for 50 years, explains how the brain stores every experience—both accessible and hidden—and how these memories can suddenly...

Send us Fan Mail Join us as we sit down with Founder of Reynolds Defense Firm, Dan Reynolds to discuss the concept of a "window of clarity" - a brief period following traumatic life events like divorce or arrest when people are uniquely open to making significant personal changes. Reynolds explains how trauma temporarily shatters our protective ego shell, creating an opportunity to imple...

Send us Fan Mail Join us as we sit down with Bankruptcy Attorney, Darin Wisehart, to discuss the warning signs that indicate it might be time to consult with a bankruptcy attorney. Rather than focusing on the technical aspects of bankruptcy law, the conversation centers on practical indicators such as mounting credit card debt, missing payments, borrowing from retirement accounts, and the mental h...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Modern Family Matters, Steve Altishin and Founding Attorney Lewis Landerholm discuss the common pitfalls of DIY divorces in Oregon and what can be done when things go wrong.  They explore how seemingly simple divorces can become complicated when parties don't understand legal requirements, procedural deadlines, and the long-term implications of their agreem...

Send us Fan Mail Join us as we sit down with Founding Attorney, Lewis Landerholm, to discuss how pendente lite court orders can protect you in the midst of a divorce case. As a leading divorce firm in Portland, our attorneys provide guidance on custody, alimony, separation, estate planning, and more. Learn what to expect in Oregon and Washington divorce cases and how we can help. If you would like...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Steve Altishin interviews Ron Platt, CEO of the National Association for Single and Divorced Families (NASDF), about creating a comprehensive resource hub for individuals going through divorce or managing single-family households. Ron shares his personal journey of bringing his late father's vision to life—a unique insurance product that guarantees child supp...