Given my experience as a CPA, a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional, and a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst® professional (not to mention a divorcée), I was recently asked, “Is there such a thing as a good divorce?”

I didn’t even have to think about it.

“No.”

There isn’t. Every divorce is bad, is painful, is expensive.

That said, there are ways that you can make a divorce “less bad”… with my help.

There are two sides to this, both for you and for your clients.

For you: Take it easy

Depending on the complexity of the case, your file for a given divorce may be an inch thick… or a foot thick. And the basis of that thickness is the sheer number of documents you must amass, and process, and know.

That last part, especially from the financial standpoint, is the killer. It’s brutal—almost impossible—to dig through those pages and pages of account statements and come up with a clear number, a basis for negotiation.

This is where I make divorce “less bad” for you. Imagine if you had all that paperwork clearly summarized in a simple report that actually gives you alternative scenarios at a glance. It’s not just a matter of condensing all that paperwork. It’s also analyzing it, from a financial pro’s perspective, to arm you with the information you need.

What if that case goes to mediation, or trial? You know you can’t just tell that mediator or judge, “I need to look that up,” or “Let me run some numbers and get back to you.” You’re on stage, on the spot, and you don’t get a second shot.

Incidentally, these numbers change. Daily. I’m working on a pension-valuation case right now, and between the time I initially ran the numbers and the date of the upcoming trial, all the values are different. Fortunately for my client in the case, I’m able to run a latest-minute version to hand off so they’re armed in the courtroom.

For your clients: You can’t argue against the inarguable

Here’s the way my services make divorce “less bad” for your clients:

A lot of the stress of divorce stems from the not knowing various elements of information. (“Where will I live?” “Will I get the house?” and so on.)

But when I’m helping on your case, I can help determine actual hard-number values for various assets, such as a pension, a car, or a house. And I work with business-valuation experts, all the time, to help determine the value of what’s typically the husband’s business. (Business valuation experts are pros, but I’ve helped them avoid pitfalls, too, as you can read in this previous article of mine.)

When both parties see the numbers, on paper, it kind of “pops the bubble” of that stress-of-the-unknown. There it is. You can all look at it. Sure, if the opposing party has their own financial expert, there will likely be a different set of numbers from mine, but they won’t be far off, and I can help you make the case for the numbers that I present.

At that point, it’s a much more straightforward exercise for all involved. Getting to an equitable settlement becomes a matter of balancing both sides of the sheet. Less stress. Less “bad.”

There’s no such thing as a good divorce. But let me help you make your next one better. Contact me to set up a quick no-obligation chat.

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