Separation and divorce will bring both emotional and physical changes to your family.  When couples separate, they need to discuss many issues, including parenting plans for their children, division of property and future financial arrangements for their children.  Stress and conflict may result from these discussions.  The manner in which these conflicts are explored and resolved greatly influences a family's adjustment to separation or divorce.  All too often, while lawyers, judges and the Court system determine a family's future, the family members feel like bystanders in their own separation or divorce.

“Take control of your future and let us be the stewards of kindness and fairness so both parties feel heard and understood.”

MEDIATION is an active process in which the mediator helps both parties identify all the issues that need to be covered during this process. We take a unique approach to the mediation process by using a team thats  main focus is to develop agreements that are fair and equitable for both parties and will also help guide both parties to determine what needs to be discussed and resolve the issues associated with divorce are:

• Division of marital property

• Spousal/child support

• Child custody/visitation

Divorce Mediation is conducted so that there should be no one party left to feel unheard!  One spouse should not feel unjustified at the expense of the other.  Divorce Mediation helps you both find a "win/win" solution to your divorce-related issues.

DIVORCE MEDIATION is a non-adversarial process helping people negotiate directly and dissolve marriages once the decision to divorce or separate is made.  We provide you with the opportunity to negotiate mutually beneficial terms in total privacy.  Mediators do not represent any person our obligation is to the mediation process and the contract. We do not provide legal advice during our meetings we are not divorce attorney we are Mediators that will assist you in the process of ending your marriage peacefully. As part of our process we include a consultation with a Financial Neutral.

Why do some people decide to use a Financial Neutral and what are the benefits:

• The primary role of the financial neutral is to educate all participants, including the couple, their attorneys and mental health professionals, as to the financial implications of the divorce.

• The financial neutral provides advice, understanding and clarity that enables the couple to make informed decisions about their assets and their cash flow. His or her ultimate goal is to help the couple achieve a mutually agreeable settlement that works for both of them.

• In addition, the financial neutral can help a couple communicate both their individual and shared financial interests. Shared financial interests that continue after divorce might include saving for their children’s college education. Individual interests might be the purchase of a new home for the spouse moving out of the marital home or simply having sufficient cash flow to meet future expenses. It is important for the financial neutral to understand each person’s goals as they form the foundation of many of the financial discussions in the collaborative process.

• The financial neutral typically meets with both the husband and the wife separately to create individual budgets and cash flow analysis. They also will prepare a balance sheet, showing the assets and liabilities of the couple, which is used when discussing the division of property. The financial neutral also assigns “homework” to each party in order to ensure that all necessary information is provided to the entire team.

Benefits of Using a Financial Neutral

Collection of documents and financial data is streamlined.

Typically the financial neutral helps the parties collect all the relevant financial data and supporting documentation. Having one professional gather and organize this information avoids duplication of efforts and ensures that both parties receive all documents during the collaborative process. In addition, the financial neutral is trained in identifying and examining financial documents and can help identify missing documents and potentially overlooked assets and liabilities.

Reduced costs.

Since only one financial neutral is hired in the collaborative process, the costs tend to be less than those if each party had hired separate financial experts.

Both parties have the benefit of education and guidance.

In most households, one spouse typically handles all of the family’s finances. As a result, the other spouse may not have a lot of experience dealing with financial issues and may feel overwhelmed during the process. The financial neutral will provide guidance, education and support in these areas so that all parties involved can make informed and concrete decisions.

Long-term implications of financial decisions are put on the table.

The financial neutral can consider not only the short-term implications of the divorce, but the long-term implications of the financial decisions that are being made during the mediation process. Through financial modeling and analysis, each party can see various long-term financial projections so they are making informed decisions during the collaborative process that will benefit both parties.

There is a focus on reasonable compromise.

A financial neutral can help both parties work together to reach a mutually beneficial financial settlement. Since the financial neutral is working for both parties, their focus can be on identifying opportunities for compromise in order to reach a settlement.

It is important to remember that the financial neutral does not make the ultimate decision as to the various financial alternatives presented during the collaborative process; that is still left up you to the couple.