Divorce can be and should be simple, quick, and cheap – despite what a divorce lawyer might tell you. Even if you and your future ex-spouse aren’t completely amicable, you can get through the divorce with less pain and frustration than you might think.
First, it’s about attitude. Understand that emotions will come into play that might trip both of you up. But as long as you understand what the prize here is, a simple, amicable, and inexpensive divorce, you can get this done in no time.
The process, whether amicable or hostile, is basically all the same: disclose your finances (incomes, assets, debts) to one another; organize your assets and debts for negotiations; and, figure out how you will co-parent and provide for your children going forward. Regarding disclosures, you are obligated by state law to disclose all related financial information to the other. Basically, you are obligated to satisfy the other that you complete and transparent. When amicable, it’s easy. When hostile, it can be more complicated.
SplitSmart steps you through an intuitive intake process where the data is collected and necessary folders are created. The folders are for supporting documents that need to be shared between the couple. Need depends on the individuals involved. Important to note that SplitSmart was designed to minimize common disclosure games. For simplicity and accuracy, SplitSmart allows you to connect directly to over 15,000 banks and credit cards to get up to date balances and list of transactions. The data, whether manually input or electronic from the bank, is organized into a marital worksheet for transparent and productive settlement discussions. It is really as simple as that and typically done in an afternoon.
The marital worksheet is an organizational tool to facilitate negotiations for property division. It is perfectly normal for there to be differences of opinion about an asset’s value (house) or who gets it after divorce. For small to moderately sized estates, most people can reasonable agreements quickly. As the value of the estate increases or is more complex, it is highly recommended to hire a single CDFA (certified divorce financial advisor) for advice, guidance and to help you make some of the tougher decisions. By using SplitSmart to get organized in advance of meeting with the CDFA or mediator, you will be lightyears ahead and save yourself a bunch of time, money, and frustration.
Your goal for your children should be a future where they can thrive in the love and support of both parents. (If this is not your goal, then SplitSmart might not be for you.) SplitSmart’s approach to developing a parenting plan and how each parent will financially support their children is how amicable parents figure it out every day. Our secret is that the app separates parenting time (custody) from money (child support) so parents can make better scheduling decisions for the whole family without the common custody and child support conflicts. Parents more readily embrace child expenses and savings than they do just paying a lump sum in child support.
Almost all of us simply want a fair split of the estate, to be able to enjoy a healthy relationship with their children, and a peaceful co-existence with their ex going forward. What’s important about SplitSmart is our process helps with both fronts, money and children. Through organization, SplitSmart instills accountability to ensure transparency. Think of SplitSmart as divorce guardrails, keeping a couple focused on the tasks at hand and limiting emotions, to keep you both on the straight and narrow path to a successful divorce.
Make your divorce easy, quick, and cheap. Try SplitSmart.com today and have the human side of divorce figured out by the end of the week.