Why I Love Working with Divorce Financial Analysts

I do some of my most satisfying work in the area of divorce. People (usually women) are often afraid as they navigate what for many of them is the worst thing that’s ever happened to them.

In a contested divorce, not only are they battling the person they once loved and trusted, but the future welfare of their children is at stake too.

For many women, even accomplished professionals, a financial analyst who knows about divorce is a great option. I’ve been lucky enough to help dozens of people who come to me through their Certified Divorce Financial Analyst, most often when my assignment is to put together what I call a roadmap for discovery in divorce.

This lays out what we know (sometimes it’s not what the client thinks going in), what we need to ask for, and what we suspect the other side is hiding from us.

Divorce financial analysts and their clients are wonderful to work with for three main reasons:

1. The clients realize that there is value in getting good advice. Many people using a financial analyst are themselves professionals who are too busy juggling their own career and child rearing to get a good idea of what their spouse’s business is worth. Even if you’re a bond analyst, as one client was, that doesn’t mean you know how to find a secret company in Wyoming or analyze what’s in a South Dakota trust I might uncover.
2. Client selection is done for me. While my services cost much less than those of a divorce lawyer, forensic accountant or business valuation expert, they are still not what some would call cheap. But many people who are already with a financial analyst understand that there is fairly low risk in spending $4,000 on an asset search. If I find $8,000 they didn’t already know about, they’ve more or less broken even on my services. While every case is different, I can say that I usually hit (and easily exceed) this mark.
3. The financial analyst is a kind of “quarterback” or coordinator for a person going through divorce, and can help find other professionals my investigation may indicate are necessary. Divorce lawyers are busy people, and even the best Chicago divorce lawyer may be overwhelmed when we discover three properties in Hawaii and need them appraised. Financial analysts are often part of a larger company or network of other like-minded professionals, and can find you the antique car person, the real estate person four states away or the farm valuation person that your lawyer may not be able to help you with.