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BENEFITS OF DIVORCE MEDIATION DURING A PANDEMIC

10/30/2020

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Life during the COVID-19 pandemic seems to have an underlying stress to it.  There is a lot of talk in the media about how to cope, stress dreams and general concerns for people’s mental health.  Another ongoing stress is living your life in an unhappy marriage.  If you would like to get divorced, you don’t have to wait for the pandemic to be over to move on with your life. You and your spouse can participate in Zoom divorce mediation. 

Divorce mediation is a lower cost, less stressful, more amicable alternative to litigation.  It is done at your own pace.  You retain more control over the entire process. It generally takes between 4 and 6 meetings in total, scheduled at your convenience.  You can have all your decisions made about your divorce and move on to living your new life within two to three months.  Think about it, you could have been done with the process months ago. The pandemic has been happening for 7 months already.

The divorce mediators at Westfield Mediation, LLC, help you tackle all the areas you need to address in your divorce agreement.  You don’t miss out on anything by doing the process faster, for less money and less stress.  You cover the topics of a parenting plan, child custody, division of assets and debts, child support calculations, spousal support (alimony) in mediation, just as you would in litigation.  Nothing is overlooked.  It is time to deal with pursuing a divorce to get rid of the long-term underlying stress of staying in an unhappy marriage during a pandemic. 
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For more information on divorce and divorce mediation, please contact Randi M. Albert, JD, or Michelle Weinberg, M. Ed., Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, 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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Learning More about Your Family Finances Before Divorce Saves Time and Money

10/16/2020

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As divorce mediators, at Westfield Mediation, LLC, we have seen that in many families, married couples are reluctant to discuss money issues.  Sometimes one person handles all the financial decisions, pays the taxes and the bills. In other homes, the spouses keep most of their expenses and accounts separate, and don’t really share information about their assets and liabilities.

Recently, the coronavirus has created shifts of income and expenses in many homes, inspiring articles about how both spouses need to learn more about their finances in case one partner gets sick and can’t work or pay the bills. We have found that these same concepts about the importance of shared financial knowledge apply to divorcing families as well.  Moreover, for divorcing couples, sharing information eliminates any suspicion of hidden assets or debts which reduces stress and helps you work together to create a fair agreement.

In divorce mediation, we help divorcing couples make sense of their financial picture. As part of that process, we go through their financial statements together to create a workable equitable plan. In divorce mediation, we tell our clients that it’s important to know a few basic things about your financial situation before you get divorced.

First, where are the important documents? You should both have log-in information for all savings, investment, and retirement accounts. You will both need to know what is out there to make a fair division of your accounts and debts. Secondly, whose name is on the accounts, the mortgage, the car title, etc. Who is the beneficiary of all your investments and life insurance policies?  In our experience, starting with some simple fact-gathering upfront makes the process much easier and productive for everyone, saving time and money, and minimizing arguments down the road.

​For more information about financial plans in divorce mediation or post-divorce mediation, please contact Randi M. Albert, JD, or Michelle Weinberg, M. Ed., Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, 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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DIVORCE MEDIATION FOR THE TECH CHALLENGED DURING COVID-19

10/2/2020

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Life may be extra overwhelming in our new COVID world if you are technologically challenged.  You may think that you cannot get divorced during the pandemic because it is too hard to participate in virtual divorce mediation meetings.  If you can check your email, then you can join the virtual meetings.

The divorce mediators at Westfield Mediation, LLC, can walk you through the process, step-by-step.  All you have to do is show up on screen.  We are currently meeting clients via Zoom.  But clients are still able to drop off or pick up documents at the office from the receptionists.  If you prefer, we can mail you a hard copy of the documents we look at together online during the Zoom meetings.  We will not all be in the same room together but we can still get the job done.

So, don’t stay married longer than you want to because you are afraid that you can’t do virtual divorce mediation.  Westfield Mediation, LLC, is here to help you.  We understand that the divorce process can be overwhelming.  And the technology can be overwhelming.  So why would you want to combine the two?  Living within a difficult marriage and wanting a divorce now, but not seeking one, is overwhelming too.  We can help you cope with the technology so you can move on with your life.
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For more information on divorce and divorce mediation, please contact Randi M. Albert, JD, or Michelle Weinberg, M. Ed., Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, 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.

    Categories

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    Division Of Assets And Liabilities
    Divorce Attorney
    Divorce Mediation Process
    Money
    Parenting
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