You get a new client. You ask her to complete the AFI.

And just like that, your case grinds to a halt.

You know that feeling. The woman is overwhelmed enough by the impending divorce, and now she’s got some kind of court document to fill out, with lots of forward-looking numbers, when there’s a good chance that, all throughout the marriage, she’d never even dealt with the numbers before.

So what’s the trickiest question for her, and by extension, for you?

I’ve seen it all. As a CPA, a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER^® professional, and a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst^® professional who helps women with the financial side of divorce, I could say that it’s the deceptively-simple-looking request to “state their income.” That means annualizing it, typically based on a biweekly pay stub.

You have no idea how often people get this wrong. Not just the women. But also the attorneys. It’s trickier than it looks. Which is why I’m always here to help (see “AFI service,” below.)

Speaking of pay stubs, this leads to what is definitely the trickiest question on the AFI: Expenses.

Sure, I have pay-stub super powers. I can look at say, two pay stubs, and calculate all the deductions for things like health and dental insurance, 401(k) contributions, and so on, for, say, the entire prior year.

But looking backward doesn’t help with all expenses going forward. The biggest: Where will she be living? Likely not in that marital house. So the expenses will change. She may well downsize. She could rent for a year before buying.

Yet she—and you—want to make the best possible case for spousal maintenance or a child support deviation, which entails a rigorous lifestyle analysis. In other words, more expenses that often get overlooked. I’ve seen, and raised a stink about, proposed settlements from the other party in which the woman would never be able to take a vacation, buy her kids gifts, or even be sick!

The good news for you

So many women freeze up right at the AFI. You don’t have time to hold their hands and walk them through each field to complete. I do. And I’m, frankly, good at it. So you can move the case along. And bonus: When the woman uses my services, I help you start your negotiations from a position of financial power. In other words, it’s easier to do better by your client. Less work for you, better outcome for her. Everyone wins.

Let me help your client, starting with the AFI. Contact me and let’s open the door to future work together.

AFI service

Seeing how often improperly-completed AFIs can frustrate attorneys like you, I’ve created an all-new service: I’ll help your divorcing-women clients complete their AFI, within one week of getting the supporting documents (bank and credit-card statements, etc.). And I’ll do it for them for a flat fee of just $495.

So they—and you—will have a good, solid AFI that opposing counsel can’t poke holes in, for a flat fee, in fast time.

Contact me today to get started!

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