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divorce and MOney Troubles

9/30/2016

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Divorcing couples often have money troubles. Sometimes, these problems already existed, and maybe even contributed to the decision to divorce. Other times, it is just the expense of creating two households that makes things financially difficult. As part of the divorce mediation process at Westfield Mediation, LLC, we help our clients create a workable financial plan.

In mediation, we go through our clients’ assets and debts, and help them devise an agreement for dividing them. We also create plans for child support and spousal support or alimony.  Finally, we have our clients complete budgets that show how much they spend living together, and how much they will spend living apart.

During this process, it often becomes clear that for most people, the expenses of living separately are greater than those living apart, and their current incomes are going to need to be stretched. This is especially true at the beginning of the separation when the couple may need to set up a new home or two.  

To get through this rough time, we encourage our clients to try to trim their budgets and/or maximize their income. Oftentimes, we recommend speaking to a financial advisor to determine how best to move forward with current income and investments. Laying out financial issues helps make clear what each person needs to do to afford their new life. And having a practical financial plan in place takes some of the stress out of getting divorced.

​For more information about financial plans and/or divorce mediation, please contact Randi M. Albert, JD, or Michelle Weinberg, LMFT, at Westfield Mediation, LLC, at 908.913.0373.  View our website at www.westfieldnjmediation.com or email us at
info@westfieldnjmediation.com
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what's the catch with using a divorce mediator?

9/16/2016

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What am I giving up by using a mediator instead of a lawyer?  Nothing.  You can address all the same areas of your divorce with a mediator that you would with a divorce attorney.  How and why does divorce mediation end up being so much less expensive than litigation?  What’s the catch?  There is no catch.  In fact, you should use a mediator and a lawyer to get divorced.  The mediator is your starting pitcher and does most of the work.  The review attorney (a divorce attorney acting in a more limited role) is your closer, a key player but much less involved compared to if s/he were your only source of support for your divorce.  So you are saving money on your attorney.  The review attorney can offer you legal advice and file all the paperwork required for court.

You are also saving money on your mediator.  Instead of husband paying his attorney an hourly fee and wife paying her attorney an hourly fee, you are both paying one mediator an hourly fee.  That right there is a 50% savings.  There is no retainer required in mediation.  Clients pay for the time that they use as they use it.  The less time you use in mediation the less you pay.  Also because both spouses are in the same room directly speaking with one another, communication is improved and decisions get made much faster and you can then move on to the next issue to resolve.  You can get a lot accomplished in one hour.  A large majority of our clients at
Westfield Mediation, LLC, require only 4-6 meetings to address all the issues of their divorce.

Think about how long and expensive it is to resolve one issue through your divorce attorneys.  Wife has an issue of where the kids are spending Thanksgiving and speaks with her lawyer.  Her lawyer then speaks with husband’s attorney.  Husband’s attorney speaks with husband.  Husband then tells his attorney what to do.  His attorney gets back to wife’s attorney who then gets back to wife.  She disagrees with husband so the entire process continues in this manner. With everyone’s busy schedules this could take hours and days/weeks to resolve.  In mediation, this process could take 10 minutes of facilitated direct communication between husband and wife to resolve.  Hence the huge savings.  10 minutes of paying one fee or hours of paying two fees to address the same issue. 

For more information about Divorce Mediation contact Randi M. Albert, JD, or Michelle Weinberg, LMFT, at Westfield Mediation, LLC, at 908.913.0373.  View our website at
www.westfieldnjmediation.com or email us at info@westfieldnjmediation.com
​
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Back to school

9/2/2016

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In these waning days of summer, both parents and kids are gearing up for the new school year. For divorced or divorcing parents, the shift from summer schedules to school can sometimes be particularly stressful.  When kids have homework and after-school and weekend activities, divorced parents who share custody need to be on top of scheduling issues.

At Westfield Mediation, LLC, we tell our divorce mediation clients that one effective way to ensure that everyone gets to where they need to be with less stress, is through shared calendars.  In divorce mediation, we help parents create parenting plans, and there are now many scheduling apps available for divorced parents to coordinate activities (You can find some on our website http://www.westfieldnjmediation.com/resources.html).  By plugging plans into the shared calendar, divorced parents minimize mistakes, scheduling conflicts, and arguments.

For children sleeping overnight in two different homes, parents should ensure that their kids have any necessary stuff – from homework to clothing to sports equipment available to them.  Parents should create a quiet place for children to do their homework in each setting, and should stock up on some basic school supplies for each home.  Similarly, it’s useful to have a system in place to ensure that sports gear, musical instruments, special clothes, etc. are easily accessible from both homes.  Shared custody during the school year is definitely doable, it just requires both good planning and flexibility.

​For more information about parenting plans and/or divorce mediation, please contact Randi M. Albert, JD, or Michelle Weinberg, LMFT, at Westfield Mediation, LLC, at 908.913.0373.  View our website at www.westfieldnjmediation.com or email us at info@westfieldnjmediation.com

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    Authors

    Michelle Weinberg, M.Ed.,LMFT, is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with many years of experience working with couples.

    Randi M. Albert, JD, is an attorney with experience in family law and public service.

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