Divorce

Every divorce is unique depending on the length of the marriage and the amount and type of property to be divided. Our goal is to help you make informed choices so you are able to reach an equitable settlement that is in your best interest.

The most common wish we see from people who are divorcing is that they want to know where they stand financially going forward and to feel hopeful about what the future holds for them.

We provide guidance and value to our divorce clients by helping with:

• Pre-divorce consulting to help you prepare for and have a better understanding of the potential outcomes of your divorce based on your situation and the choices you make.
• Budgeting
  
• Financial Education
  
• Evaluating settlement proposals
  
• Deciding whether or not to keep the family home or cabin
  
• Support and direction when there’s disagreement on how to equitably divide assets and the client isn’t sure what to do
  
• Assistance with post-divorce tasks such as asset transfers, paperwork, QDRO’s
  
• Ongoing financial advice with your finances and investments after the divorce process is over

Our role is to assist you and your client and be part of your team during the divorce process. We provide expert analysis, value and support in high asset divorce cases. Some examples are:

• Expert Witness Report for High Asset Divorce Cases
  • In the State of Minnesota, having worked with many clients during or immediately following a divorce, it is common for courts to assume an immediate, income return on liquid assets equal to 4% (or more) of the portfolio value that are to be withdrawn for current living expenses before the client reaches her full retirement age. In my experience, I have found this approach cannot be justified by sound financial planning for several reasons.
    
    While good intentioned, when the 4% rule of thumb for income withdrawals is used in divorce cases, this method ends up harming a person’s financial situation as they try to move forward in their life post-divorce. The client faces the danger of running out of money during her lifetime and can end up living well below her marital standard of living.
    
    I wrote a 19-page report that is customizable for each client’s financial situation to be used in a court trial. It describes in detail what the withdrawal rate should be based on current economic conditions and information rather than using a method that does not correctly calculate a client’s return on assets.
    
    Please contact me to learn more about how this report can help support your case and your client.
• Expert witness testimony
• Create professional, detailed reports using Family Law Software to illustrate asset division, budgets for one or both parties, and settlement scenario options to provide support your case
• Any of the services under the Divorce Planning tab listed above. Helping a client create a detailed budget is one of the most common services where I can provide value.