For seven years, Jillian built a life with her partner. They lived together, co-owned properties in Sydney and Canberra, and dreamt of a financially comfortable future. In her mid-thirties and working full-time, Jillian was savvy with money. But when the de facto relationship unraveled in 2009, so did her finances.

“I did a lot of work for his business, but it was only in his name, and that’s where I came unstuck. He could ultimately protect his assets through this company, assets we worked to accumulate together,” Jillian says. “My partner stopped paying the mortgage and instructed the real estate agent to hold the rental funds. Then he removed money from our offset account that was linked to the mortgage. He controlled the money which meant I struggled to engage a lawyer to complete a property settlement.”