Читать книгу Divorce Dollars - Akeela Davis - Страница 12

If you are considering separation and divorce, consider also creating a professional team to help you through the process. The amount you spend on this team may cost you far less in the long run than a poorly thought-out and emotionally motivated settlement would.

First of all, you will need a good lawyer for legal advice. Most cases that end up in court long after the divorce is over are the product of poorly written agreements. Your lawyer can help you make certain that the language of your agreement contains no hidden surprises and can help you drastically reduce the chances of your agreement being challenged due to imprecise wording or illegal clauses.

You may need a psychologist or counselor (often called divorce coaches) as well to help you deal with the emotional issues of the divorce, so that you can move forward with your life or put together a parenting plan. In addition, if you and your ex-spouse are of the saver/spender type or have vastly different risk profiles, you can benefit immensely by involving a third party whose job it is to help you understand each other’s point of view and motivations — and thereby help you stay out of court.

A financial divorce specialist (that is, a financial planner with special training in divorce issues) can also be of great assistance. They model settlement offers so that you can see the potential long-term impact. A financial divorce specialist can help you understand the financial impact of any divorce settlement on both your current and future lifestyle by helping you determine such issues as whether or not you can afford to keep the house and the tax implications of various settlement proposals.

If you consider that lawyers are not trained to give financial advice or deal with emotions, that psychologists are neither legal nor financial experts, and that financial planners are not qualified to deal with legal or emotional issues, you can see the benefit of having a team of professionals working on your behalf. Your team will ensure that you walk away from the proceedings in the best possible emotional and financial circumstances within the appropriate legal framework.