Posts Tagged ‘Divorce Mediation’
Since Lifetime Spousal Support Is Dying Away…
Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, “marriage, motherhood and homemaking” was considered a practical answer to the dilemma of long-term financial security. Lots of things have changed for better or worse. In the plus column: higher education, greater job opportunities and more “you can have it all, baby.” On the minus…
Read More
Divorce Planning Strategies: Early Access to Retirement Funds Without Penalties
It’s not unusual that a couple’s assets with the most equity are the marital residence and various retirement plans. So, what do you want your life to look like post divorce? Do you want to keep your marital home? Do you want the security of a funded retirement plan? It’s critical to understand your financial…
Read More
How Much Do You Know About Your Marital Finances?
What if your spouse came home and announced he/she wanted a divorce? What would you do? Where would you start? The good news is, statistics show that the number of marriages that last to at least 15 years has been growing since the 1980s. That means the rate of divorce has actually been dropping. Despite…
Read More
Are You Negotiating Your Child Support, Hoping for a Concession?
I was asked to review a division of property. The wife found a neatly typed list of assets, liabilities and valuations complete with a paragraph stating the husband’s rationale for the division on the kitchen table. It was topped by a Post-it Note stating he wanted his wife to approve the agreement first, and then…
Read More
Wasted Days and Wasted Nights
Recently, I was asked to analyze a complicated draft divorce judgment. From the worn appearance of the documents, question marks, revised numbers and multitude of angry, red, crossed-out words, it was clear that a lot of discussion had taken place. Usually, this level of discussion in a team mediation model translates to a lot of time,…
Read MoreDo You Need a Financial Professional for Your Divorce Mediation? Yes, You Do.
Whether litigated or mediated, a divorce financial professional should always be part of your team. Recently, I attended an intensive, five-day interdisciplinary mediation training workshop. Of the 18 people in the workshop group, 14 were trial lawyers, 3 were mental health professionals, and I was the only financial professional. The workshop took a hypothetical couple through increasingly…
Read More