The Divorce Insurance Idea Nobody Thought Would Work by Ron Platt

Click on Fan Mail link and give me feedback. ThanksParenting Adult Children, Unconditional Love, and Supporting LGBTQ FamiliesThis episode brings together James Moffitt and Ron Platt of the National Association for Single and Divorced Families to talk about parenting adult children, family boundaries, and how support systems can change lives. Ron also shares the story behind NASDF and its divorce support insurance product, plus how fostering and adoption reshaped his understanding of unconditional love.We discuss practical parenting challenges, the emotional realities of adult children making their own choices, and why love still has to include boundaries, accountability, and apology. The conversation also touches on LGBTQ acceptance, foster care, family court reform, and the role of community in helping children and parents navigate hard transitions.Key topicsJames introduces Ron Platt, co-founder of the National Association for Single and Divorced Families, and Ron explains that NASDF serves people who are divorcing, divorced, or in single-family households.Ron shares the origin of the organization and the Support Insured product, which is designed to cover child support and alimony for up to a year if the payer dies, becomes disabled, is involuntarily unemployed, or has to declare business bankruptcy.Ron tells the long backstory of how the idea came from a conversation with his father decades earlier, how investors initially passed, and how he eventually funded the launch through a mortgage and credit card debt.The conversation shifts to the challenges of launching a niche product with no direct competition and the need to educate both the family law community and the public.Ron explains his current push to build a credit card product specifically for legal fees, mediation, and court costs for people with limited credit and limited access to cash during divorce.James opens up about his own divorce, visitation struggles, and the impact of family conflict on parenting and access to his son.Ron shares the story of adopting his son, Michael, from foster care, including the realities of a child coming from abuse, instability, and the foster system with belongings in a plastic bag.Ron describes setting boundaries with his foster son, including school expectations, work, drugs, and a major moment when he threw him out for breaking house rules, then welcomed him back after a painful but necessary lesson.The discussion turns to LGBTQ identity, acceptance, religion, and family responses, including James discussing his son Jeremy and Ron sharing his own coming out story and his grandmother’s response.Ron and James talk about the difference between loving a child and agreeing with every choice they make, and why parents still need to show up for adult children even when they don’t understand them.The episode closes with Ron reflecting on a key lesson from therapy: apologizing to children when parents get it wrong, and why that kind of honesty builds respect.Timestamps(00:00) Welcome to the show and introduction of guest Ron Platt (00:28) What NASDF is and who it serves (00:56) Support Insured and how divorce support coverage works (01:13) James shares his own divorce and visitation experience (03:17) How Ron came from insurance product development into this mission (04:37) Why the market ignored the need for divorce support insurance (05:50) Mortgaging the house to launch the business (06:47) The first underwriter says yes to Support Insured (07:17) Why a brand-new category has to be built from scratch (08:16) The original idea began 30 years earlier (09:12) The Miami real estate story and the $5 million funding pitch (10:36) A new credit card idea for legal fees, mediation, and court costs (12:31) Ron’s toxic relationship and why fostering became personal (13:24) Seeing the foster system through a child’s history binder (15:20) Meeting Michael and giving him stability for the first time (16:41) The hard history behind his foster placement (17:09) Why Ron refused to let the child keep breaking the rules (20:32) The arrest that became a turning point in their relationship (22:01) James reflects on support for LGBTQ children and family acceptance (23:17) James shares his son Jeremy’s coming out and their strained relationship (29:11) James recounts Jeremy’s final illness and his death (31:20) Ron shares coming out to his grandmother and her response (32:45) Ron explains how his family and in-laws evolved over time (34:08) Why adults need to stop expecting children to fit a box (37:26) Helping LGBTQ youth find a safe, normal support network (39:32) James reflects on the stigma around being gay across generations (42:27) A church conversation about gay relationships and acceptance (44:26) Ron describes joining a more accepting Jewish community (46:21) Why discomfort keeps people from growing (47:13) Parenting does not stop when a child becomes an adult (49:30) Why parents should not enable adult children (51:31) Money lessons, budgeting, and the reality of financial independence (53:38) A cautionary car purchase and letting adults learn the hard way (54:44) Maintaining influence without control in adult children’s lives (56:17) James on accepting self-expression in teenagers (58:13) Why brain development matters when judging teen behavior (59:29) James reflects on his own strict upbringing (61:14) Why parents’ expectations can clash with who children actually are (64:25) Ron shares how his husband left policing and became a fashion designer (67:12) Another family story about a son thriving in the arts (68:48) A major parenting lesson from adopting Michael (70:05) Why parents should apologize when they get it wrong (71:55) Closing thoughts and ways to contact NASDFNotable quotesCopy“You don't ever stop being a parent.”Copy“The good news is I have no competition. The bad news is I have no competition.”Copy“Your kids will have a great deal more respect for you when they realize that you're not perfect.”Action itemsIf you are navigating divorce, single parenting, or family court challenges, explore NASDF’s support and educational offerings.If you work in credit, lending, or legal finance, Ron is actively looking for partners to help build a card for legal fees, mediation, and court costs.Parents of adult children should focus on boundaries, not control, and be willing to apologize when needed.Families supporting LGBTQ children should prioritize safety, belonging, and consistency over rigid expectations.Richard Jones. I am an RN with over 34 years of Nursing Experience, much of that experience working with young adults in the corrections system.  Parenting Adult Children Call To Action Support the showSocial Media Links https://www.youtube.com/@abcparentingadultchildrenhttps://www.instagram.com/parentingadultchildren125/ https://www.tiktok.com/@chiefpropellerheadABC's of Parenting Adult Children Facebook Pagehttps://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61581576308055 r/parentingadultchildrenFeel free to subscribe to these channels and share the links with your social media portals.