10 Things You Must Know to Make Your Divorce Less Expensive!
The following 10 things can make your divorce less expensive!
1. Provide documents to your attorney or forensic accountant/valuator when asked in a complete and organized manner. Piecemeal productions will be more time-consuming and more expensive.
Do your best to gather a complete set of documents in an organized fashion. Provide responses to each of the requests and if documents or information is not available let them know why. If you don’t do it, you will have to pay a professional to do it for you.
2. If there are “inaccuracies” in your records or your tax returns come clean and let your attorney/mediator and forensic accountant/valuator know this up front.
Failing to tell him/her about this issue up front will only cost time and money and could result in the other side and the Court losing trust in you.
3. Limit your phone calls to your professionals.
Only call with issues that need to be addressed. Make a list of your issues and try an email first. If you need to call, make your phone call as efficient as possible.
4. If your attorney or forensic accountant have staff, try to get your questions answered by assistants or staff as they are less expensive per hour.
5. Don’t go M.I.A. (Missing in Action)
Respond to your professionals and try not to take weeks and months off from your divorce. It might be difficult to handle but sticking with it and getting it finished once and for all is better than stopping and starting over several years.
6. If you need emotional support, hire a therapist.
Your attorney, their staff and your forensic accountant are not trained professionals and are way more expensive per hour than a trained therapist.
7. Listen to your professionals!
They are on your side! You hired them to provide assistance and advice. Listen to their advice. Let them help you through this difficult time.
8. Take time and do research to make sure you have the right team working for you.
Changing attorneys/mediators/forensic accountants will usually be very costly and can cause delays in your case. However, if you know that the team in place isn’t the right team then make the decision to change sooner rather than later.
9. Make sure you know what you want.
Work with your professionals to come up with the best settlement possible. Be clear on what you want and what you are entitled to receive. Be realistic and decide what make sense for you.
10. Settle as many of your issues without litigation as possible!
You have more power and more options in settlement than if your case has to go to a Judge. Trial is expensive and uncertain.
There are divorce alternatives! Consider a Collaborative Divorce which is fair, private and respectful. Contact us to learn more and to find out if you and your spouse are good candidates for this better option.
Also Consider attending a Divorce Options Workshop to learn more!
