DivorceSave.com suggested support staff!
- Facilitating Counselor
The divorce process can be adversarial and emotional for family members. To minimize this conflict and move the process forward the Facilitating Counselor sets the ground rules of behavior and acts as a coach throughout the divorce settlement process. If there are children, the Facilitating Counselor and the parents design a parenting and cooperation plan that benefits all for years to come. If career training is required, the counselor will identify this need and review the financial benefits for each party. If post divorce counseling is needed for any family member, the counselor will also identify this need and review the benefits for each party.
- Financial Planner
Your Financial Planner will create household budgets to ensure that each party has enough money to live on and that all debts will be paid off in a fair and timely manner. The Financial Planner will review any investments to make sure these are fairly divided according to their 1) growth potential, 2) liquidity and 3) true market value. Financial plan options are created for each household. These financial plan options for the future include: career training, college tuition, investments, debt reduction, savings, retirement, insurance needs, etc.Financial Planning through divorce can save a headache for all parties!
- Certified Public Accountant
Family Law Court is not interested in creating a fair and equitable financial settlement that takes into account all aspects of the family’s financial picture. The CPA will use the budget and investment plan created by your Financial Planner and will analyze all assets, investments, debts, income & expense, taxable deductions and tax liabilities. Family support (child support and alimony) is based on needs and the household budgets. In order to minimize tax liabilities tax planning is performed to determine what percentage of family support is taxable to the recipient and deductible to the payer. Next your CPA will create property settlement options and determine your tax consequences. You will receive a complete and detailed analysis for each household that discloses income & expense, all assets, investments, debts, tax liabilities and options for family support and property settlement.Family owned business - If you own a family business and cannot determine its value for settlement purposes, a Certified Valuation Analyst will be assigned to your case. This cost is NOT typically included in a flat fee divorce.
Child support is not deductible, family support is.
Tax planning helps both households, not the IRS.
- Mediator
If you have reached an agreement the mediator will make sure that each of you understands all of its parts and the future impact for each family member. If an agreement has not been reached the mediator will use the property settlements options, the family support options and the financial plan options to mediate until an agreement is reached. Then the Marital Settlement Agreement is drawn up and signed by both parties.“Mediation rather than litigation tends to be beneficial to the whole family.”
- Sanford Braver, PhD, Author of Divorced Dads: Shattering the Myths - Court Documents/Attorney Review
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