What Is SplitSmart?
How Much Does SplitSmart Cost?
SplitSmart is $199 per couple/year. Most will only need to use SplitSmart for a couple of months, but the annual subscription gives others ample time to work through the process.
What Is The Basic Divorce Process?
Our parenting plan and child support process disconnects issues of custody and money so parents can quickly reach amicable agreements for a peaceful co-parenting future.
Can Only One Person Use SplitSmart?
Later on, if or when your divorce process starts, you will reap significant savings on all fronts, money, emotions and time. At that point, invite the other to join you in SplitSmart. By starting off organized, you will have set the stage for how your divorce process goes.
SplitSmart’s greatest value comes when both use the app to get organized.
Why Is Organization Important In The Divorce Process?
For SplitSmart, it’s the transparency and accountability of the disclosure process that leads to organization for productive and efficient negotiations/settlement meetings.
How Does SplitSmart Help With Financial Disclosures?
How Do We Keep Your Data Safe?
What Is SplitSmart’s Alternative Approach To Child Support?
Will Courts Accept Child Support Agreements Based On SplitSmart’s Alternative Approach?
How Much Time Will I Need To Spend On SplitSmart?
For Couples
How Can We Keep Our Divorce Expense To A Minimum?
What Are The Divorce Pitfalls We Should Watch Out For?
How Does SplitSmart Help With Property Division?
What Is Special About SplitSmart’s Approach To Parenting Plans?
The goal of every parenting plan should be to help set children up to thrive with healthy relationships with two loving parents. SplitSmart believes that the best parenting plans are the ones built on love, respect and flexibility. While 50/50 parenting plans provide children with the best outcomes, 50/50 is not practical for all families. SplitSmart believes that parents should create a schedule that works best for the whole family without counting overnights to determine child support. SplitSmart combines a comprehensive parenting plan template with a line item negotiation process to empower both parents, not just one. Each parent can make his or her own proposal on an individual item or accept or reject a proposal from the other. By parents stating their proposals in black and white, otherwise unreasonable positions quickly soften to a common ground that works well for everyone.
What Is Wrong With Counting Overnights?
In most states, child support can be determined by counting the number of overnights a child is with each parent. The unintended consequence of this is that it creates a financial incentive to custody putting the child directly in the middle of their parent’s divorce conflict. Tying child support to custody is the primary source of conflict for most parents both during the divorce process and long after. Figure out a schedule that works best for your family. Be flexible, accommodate one another as needed and resolve scheduling disagreements peacefully.
What Parenting Plan Schedule Is Best For Children?
The best parenting plan is the one without conflict. Outcomes for children are best when children can spend substantially equal time with both parents. However, because of work or travel schedules, distance between homes or schools, a 50/50 parenting plan might not always be practical or desired. Regardless of the schedule, the most important factor for children and parents alike is that parents are cooperative and respectful of one another and are in mutual agreement that the schedule works best for everyone. Disagreement and discontent with a schedule invariably creates conflict between parents that is never beneficial to the child.
What Mistakes Do People Make In Getting Divorced?
Acting or reacting out of emotion is the single biggest mistake people make in divorce. Period. Next is not being organized. Without organization, emotions can flare, expenses spiral out of control and you will not be in control. Organization helps keep emotions in check, everyone focused on the task at hand and you will be in control of the process.
Divorce can be 100x – 200x more expensive when people lawyer up, go to court and or have custody battles. The adage of “nobody wins in divorce but the lawyers” is entirely true. Invariably, people who take this path have lost control of their own emotions OR have no choice because the other irrationally took them down this path. If your divorce takes this path, SplitSmart is more important than ever in keeping costs and gamesmanship to a minimum.
For Mediators
Is There A Fee For Mediators To Use SplitSmart?
No. Currently, only the couple uses SplitSmart. Couples use SplitSmart to manage the disclosure process to each other’s satisfaction and to organize themselves for productive mediation meetings. Print marital worksheets, parenting plans and child support calculations as working documents for settlement efficiency. If mediation is online/remote, either may share his or her screen with the mediator while either user may edit the working documents. If mediation is in person, working document printouts are helpful while many prefer to log into SplitSmart, and make edits in real time. Displaying SplitSmart on a large screen can be helpful.
How Does SplitSmart Help Mediators?
SplitSmart helps mediators by having clients organized and ready to mediate in advance of first meetings. No more time wasted trying to track down or manage disclosures. Marital worksheets list all assets and debts and each person’s valuation with easier items resolved leaving tougher issues organized for your guidance. Parenting plans are comprehensive and detailed and where there are unresolved items, each parent’s position is listed side by side for productive resolutions. Since child support is framed as how each parent will provide for the children, financial responsibility is embraced instead of argued. Bottom line is that mediators will have happier clients making more referrals.
How Can I Incorporate SplitSmart Into My Practice?
Simply have new clients use SplitSmart and email you PDFs of their marital worksheet, parenting plan and child support calculations in advance of your first meeting with them.
Augment these working documents with your own intake form for any other issues that need to be addressed. Modify your divorce agreement templates to incorporate the marital worksheet, parenting plan and child support calculation as printed from SplitSmart.
Can I Get Referrals From SplitSmart?
Yes. Soon you will be able to register your profile on SplitSmart’s resource page and prospective clients can find you from there.