---
title: "Debt, Divorce, Inheritance and Family Business: Elaine King, CFP®"
description: In September 2026, Elaine King, CFP®, spoke on Telemundo, WLRN, La Hora, and CFP Board about debt, inflation, divorce, inheritance, family business, and retirement.
image: https://www.elaineking.com/hubfs/3-1.png
---
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# Debt, Divorce, Inheritance and Family Business: Elaine King, CFP®
[Press Releases](https://www.elaineking.com/blog/tag/press-releases)
**Miami, September 2026 —** Elaine King, CFP®, founder of Family and Money Matters™, spoke on Telemundo, WLRN’s Ante Usted, Ecuador’s La Hora, and for CFP Board about protecting the family in the moments that weigh most on its wealth: debt, divorce, inheritance, a family business, and retirement.
***Key Idea.*** *Rules are written before the conflict. In debt, divorce, inheritance, or a family business, the plan made before emotions arrive is the one that protects the family.*
### **Why It Matters**
A debt that keeps growing, a marriage that ends, an inheritance that arrives, or a business passing to the next generation share one trait: they are decided under emotional pressure. For King, the difference between protecting wealth and losing it usually comes down to what was discussed — and put in writing — beforehand.
### **Elaine King’s Perspective**
- **Divide the debt by the months you actually have.** On Telemundo Atlanta (September 1), King recommended adding up all back-to-school debt and dividing it by at least 12 — a $1,200 balance becomes $100 a month — so families aren’t still paying when the next school year starts. She suggested comparing a 0% consolidation card against rates above 20%, returning purchases that won’t be used in the next three months, and paying down debt before taking on anything new. Three weeks later, on the same station, she added that 4% or 5% inflation doesn’t mean groceries rise only that much; her answer is to review every budget line (“do I want it or need it?”), set tentative numbers for Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas in advance, and aim for six months of fixed expenses in the emergency fund rather than three.
- **Divorce: the blow is often greater for women.** On Telemundo HoyDía (September 8), King explained that women tend to live longer, interrupt their careers more often, and earn less on average. Her most quoted line: “The worst thing that can happen to us is to be old and also have no money.” Before filing, she recommends a “financial snapshot” — the real value of the home, accounts, retirement, income, expenses, and taxes — and an honest number for what it costs to live alone. The costliest mistakes she sees: keeping the house for sentimental reasons, choosing an asset without considering its taxes, overlooking debts, and letting emotion drive the numbers.
- **The hardest inheritance to leave is clarity.** Writing for CFP Board (September 2), King noted that an estimated $124 trillion is expected to pass between generations over the next two decades, and that many families spend far more time building wealth than preparing heirs to receive it. She named three mistakes: leaving assets without leaving clarity, focusing on assets instead of legacy, and deciding too quickly under emotional pressure. Her close: “Estate planning documents transfer assets, but communication preserves relationships.”
- **A family business needs two governance systems.** On the Focus podcast from Ecuador’s Diario La Hora (September 15), King explained that a family business rests on corporate governance (the shareholder agreement) and family governance (the family constitution). The warning signs she described: blurring the two roles, having no rules before conflict arises — “you have to have the rules before the conflict” — and a founder who doesn’t delegate. When the second generation approaches the business, she recommends starting with simple policies, such as who may join and with what preparation.
- **AI speeds up the data, but it doesn’t know what money means to you.** On Ante Usted (WLRN, September 14), King recommended using hypothetical situations and approximate figures with free AI tools, always asking the tool for its source, setting a family digital budget, and using AI to prepare for a meeting with a professional rather than to replace one.
- **“You don’t have to be a millionaire to reach your dreams.”** On Telemundo’s Tu Dinero Cuenta (September 29), King explained that starting early matters more than the amount, since many people spend about 30 years working and may live another 30 in retirement. Her first step: find out whether your employer matches retirement contributions. According to AARP, about 64% of Hispanic workers lack access to an employer retirement plan; for them, she suggests an IRA and, for children’s education, a 529 plan starting at $100 a month.
### **Coverage**
- **Telemundo Atlanta** — How to start paying off back-to-school debt (Sep 1, 2026) · [Watch](https://youtu.be/dfFwc1SqUUk?si=5vDBct4RAQa1FSfC)·
- **CFP Board (LetsMakeAPlan.org)** — “More Than Money: How to Prepare Your Family for an Inheritance” (Sep 2, 2026) · [Article](https://www.letsmakeaplan.org/financial-topics/articles/estate-planning/more-than-money-how-to-prepare-your-family-for-an-inheritance) ·
- **Telemundo HoyDía** — Who loses more money in a divorce? How to protect your finances (Sep 8, 2026) · Segment · [**Watch**](https://youtu.be/3ovJbm3qjcM?si=Aa1xEbn_zP7gOopP)
- **Ante Usted · WLRN (PBS Miami)** — Would you trust AI with your finances? Avoid these mistakes (Sep 14, 2026) · Segment in Spanish · [**Watch**](https://youtu.be/w3YejBpg4xU?si=t9habTmuD3F3xS7r)
- **Focus · Diario La Hora (Ecuador)** — The 3 signs your family business is in danger (Sep 15, 2026) · Podcast in Spanish · [**Listen**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwkBMyWQjy0&t=146s&pp=0gcJCTYMAYcqIYzv)
- **Telemundo Atlanta** — Is inflation hitting your wallet? (Sep 21, 2026) · Segment · [**Watch**](https://youtu.be/Key4VcXPvwM?si=MYnGE22BGnuQ1HZV)
- **Telemundo · Tu Dinero Cuenta** — How to start saving for retirement (Sep 29, 2026) · Segment · [**Watch**](https://youtu.be/So4DY6p6Cas?si=K0esESeQ93tl-J3D)
**Facing an inheritance, a divorce, or the sale of a business?** [Request a Discovery Call →](https://www.elaineking.com/discovery-call)
### **About Elaine King**
Elaine King, CFP®, TEP, CDFA™ — also published as Elaine King Fuentes — is a bilingual financial planner and the founder of Family and Money Matters™, based in Miami. She works with families through inheritance, divorce, business transitions, and retirement. A CFP Board Ambassador, TEDx speaker, and author of eight books, she was named one of Forbes Perú’s 50 Most Powerful Women (2025) and received a Doctor Honoris Causa from CREA LatinX.
Learn more: [www.elaineking.com/about](https://www.elaineking.com/about)
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