Our offerings
"We work hard to make what is a stressful situation, easy and straightforward to follow and understand."
Whether we are working within a traditional or collaborative divorce structure, the process we take to settle the finances remains the same. If there are additional professionals involved such as mediators, family law attorneys, and/or wealth managers, we work together with them and alongside their clients through the process. We work hard to make what is a stressful situation, easy and straightforward to follow and understand.
The Divorce Financial Process
1. Discovery call
A 45 minute call where we learn about your needs and you learn about our capabilities
2. Financial document acquisition
and Divorce financial disclosures
Once the onboarding tasks are completed (client intake form, executed client retainer agreement, and paid retainer fee invoice), we will require new clients to upload a variety of documents necessary to conduct the analysis. All data is secured within DFS’ private Dropbox account and is destroyed at the end of an engagement. The necessary disclosures for court filing are also completed at this time.
3. Verification meeting
Once all the relevant financials are inputted within our financial software, we meet with you to ensure everything is correct before the analysis begins.
4. Spousal support calculations
If applicable, we begin with producing the values for spousal and child support. If significant conversations continue on the topic, a Martial Standard of Living Report can be crafted to provide a more in-depth perspective on the support numbers.
5. Asset division
Once all support matters have been handled, we move to dividing all the marital assets. Items such as separate and community property, equity benefits and investment accounts. If necessary, our CDLP (certified divorce lending professional) will assist with providing analysis on equity buyout and/or manage the refinancing of a marital home into one party's name.
6. Marital Settlement Agreement
At the end of our engagement, clients can choose to memorialize their financial allocation decisions in a Marital Settlement Agreement. This is a different document from a Marital Standard of Living Report.
Supplemental Services
Marital Standard of Living (MSOL) agreement
For complex support situations, a MSOL agreement is produced to provide deeper insight into the supplemental variables that determine support values.
After divorce budget guidance
No matter the final financial allocation, life after divorce is an adjustment. At DFS™, we uniquely understand this and offer post engagement budgeting services to help you understand how to manage your assets in the future.
Pre-Divorce Analysis
Divorce Financial Strategists™ also provides pre-divorce consultation for individuals and couples who are thinking about divorce and are seeking an understanding of the divorce process and a professional review of their assets and options.
Trial witness
The founder and head CDFA® at DFS™, Karen D. Sparks, has significant experience testifying as an expert witness during divorce litigations. Since she has a law degree in addition to her CDFA® credential, she understands the courtroom and is comfortable testifying under oath.
Mortgage recalculation
The fundamental underwriting process is long and complex, but after a divorce it becomes slightly more complex. Certified Divorce Lending Professionals (CDLP) are specifically trained in managing the underwriting process for individuals going through a divorce. We have a CDLP on staff to assist with that process should that be necessary.
Pre/post nup
We also work with established couples before or after getting married to craft the financial components of pre and post nuptial documents. The final document needs to be written by a licensed attorney, but we have a list of referral attorneys who we work with should that be needed.
