Finances are tricky. Each of us is a product of our environment, and our attitudes toward money and strategic approaches to “financial happiness” are always different. There’s a balance we all must strike between satisfaction, comfort, freedom, and security. We all have our own ideas about what combination of these equals happiness. The commitment of…
Financial infidelity is not often discussed, but is a very real problem in many relationships. We tend to think of infidelity as a partner cheating on another. However, the definition of infidelity is “the action or state of being unfaithful to a spouse or other partner”. Financial infidelity occurs when couples with combined finances lie…
Throughout the years, we have been involved in a wide variety of cases ranging in complexity. While no two situations are alike, there are several similarities in the cases we are most likely to be involved with. If any of these resonate with you, having a financial professional as a part of your team would…
You may be familiar with the idea of including a financial neutral as part of your divorce team if you are considering mediation or collaborative divorce. However, not every mediation or collaborative divorce necessitates having a financial neutral involved in the case. So, when do you need a financial neutral? 1. You have a complex…
Agreeing to a divorce settlement can be overwhelming, especially when you read through the legal jargon incorporated in your decree. There is some standard language you may see that clients commonly have questions about. One of the most asked questions has to do with the phrase “plus or minus gains and losses.” It is very…
The most frequent question we get from clients is, “Is this a fair settlement offer?”. This is a complicated question and differs depending on every situation. There is no one size fits all answer for a variety of reasons. First, fair is a relative term. If you want a split of the assets that is…
You have finally made it to the other side. The paperwork has been finalized, and now it is time to get all the assets and accounts divided so you can move on with your new life. But as money starts to get moved from account to account, there is a common concern about whether the…
Once all of the paperwork has been filed and approved by the court, you are officially moving on to your post-divorce life. Before too much time passes, be sure to address these steps to get you started on the right path. 1. Notify All Insurance Policies Be sure to review the beneficiaries on any policies…
You’re in that final stretch of your divorce; you can see the finish line ahead and have reached a settlement agreement with your spouse. Now your attorney or mediator turns to you and says, “You are going to need a QDRO and that will be an additional cost.” So, what is a QDRO and why…
One of the most common questions we get when talking to a prospective client about their divorce is, “What assets should I be advocating for?” The implication here is that not all accounts are created equally, and that is the truth. Equal and equitable are not the same thing when discussing an asset division. Here…