Launching a New Service!
In November 2022, I started studying for my designation as a Chartered Financial Divorce Specialist (CFDS). After 11 months of dedicated study, both academic and practical, I passed all the necessary course work. This training, through the Academy of Financial Divorce Specialists, provides me the specialized training necessary to provide objective assessment in matters related to separation and divorce.
As a professional Certified Financial Planner with this specialty as a CFDS, I will not offer legal opinion or advice. I will follow a strict code of ethics and my work will be monitored by my licensing authorities. Specifically, my role as a Chartered Financial Divorce Specialist are these 6 points:
- To assist lawyers and/or mediators in designing a settlement proposal that will maximize clients’ satisfaction considering the available financial options.
- Provide financial analysis of the couple’s assets, liabilities, incomes, child and spousal support payments, taking into consideration inflation and changing tax consequences.
- Provide insight with respect to pension plans and other investment and insurance options including ongoing protection.
- Show options for financial scenarios with future projections.
- Educate clients about the tax and other financial consequences of retaining or giving up certain assets.
- Counsel clients on budget management during the difficult period of transition.
How can I help?
I can be recruited directly by one or both parties and/or one or both lawyers or a mediator. A Letter of Engagement outlining the scope of services and cost is signed by the clients at the outset. I can work with the litigation, mediation, or collaborative process. A securing retainer will be based upon the estimated amount of time to be devoted to the case at hand.
My services can be engaged at any time in the process of separation and divorce.
In conclusion, I am a big fan of marriage and family life. That said, separation and divorce is a fact of life. My goal, during this painful process, is to provide objective and straightforward financial advice. The law and the settlement processes are bound up in precedent. So, while there may be things to negotiate, there are many things that do not have to be. Understanding the differences is where I can be most valuable.
The attached clip from the movie, “Moneyball”, provides an interesting perspective on getting to closure. The scene may seem harsh, but experience has taught me that there is wisdom to getting to closure, so that a new life can begin.