Reason 1: How a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst® assists those going through a divorce.

The CDFA’s® job is to help the client and his or her attorney or mediator understand how the financial choices the client makes now will affect his/her financial future. A CDFA® can help you determine whether your settlement is financially possible, provide an unbiased opinion in these difficult circumstances, and provide tailored advice regarding the individual needs of the client. She removes the inevitable emotional component of seeing your financial options clearly.

Reason 2: How a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst® is unique from other financial experts.

Many financial planners and accountants are experts in their own fields; however, they have received little or no formal training in divorce-related financial matters. A CDFA® is specially trained to assist in avoiding the typical financial hazards associated with divorce by doing the following:

• Assessing the financial impact of a proposed divorce settlement in the short- and long-term
• Providing information on the benefits and drawbacks of various settlement proposals
• Generating personalized reports as well as graphs that show the financial status, cash flow, and
• net worth of both parties

Reason 3: Why a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst® is necessary.

Depending on how you are divorcing (pro-se, mediator, collaborative, divorce attorney), a CDFA® becomes a critical member of your “divorce team” and provides your attorney with litigation or collaborative support or your mediator ideas to put on the table to explore. One of the main questions regarding divorce that gets asked is, “Am I going to be able to support myself; am I going to be OK?” The divorce process depends on choosing the correct expert to help with your financial concerns. Attorneys offer legal guidance; mediators offer personal or emotional advice, while CDFA’s® provide financial advice primarily in the context of the highly emotional divorce process.

Reason 4: The role a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst® plays in collecting financial data.

To identify and gather financial information from the marriage, a CDFA® will work together with the client. This results in an analysis of any significant financial information pertaining to divorce, including income, deductions, living expenditures for the husband and wife, real estate, assets and liabilities. In a divorce dispute, a CDFA is recognized by the court as a “financial specialist,” allowing the attorney to concentrate on the legal issues at hand, while she serves as the expert witness to the financial documentation.

Reason 5: Certified Divorce Financial Analyst® help both women and men.

A CDFA® is qualified to advocate for both men and women. Their major objective is to assist clients, whether they are the husband or wife, or a same-sex marriage, in obtaining an equitable financial divorce settlement. Equitable here refers to fairness, not necessary splitting assets 50/50. Due to the financial complexities of many divorces, CDFA’s® actively assist people and attorneys in navigating the financial issues of divorce.

Reason 6: The Role of Certified Divorce Financial Analyst® plays in ‘Collaborative’ divorce.

By eliminating litigation, collaborative divorce can be a better option than the court room. The goal of collaborative practice is to protect the integrity and dignity of families experiencing conflict through a consensual dispute resolution procedure. In a collaborative divorce, the CDFA® serves as a financial neutral to work with both parties to understand their current financial situations and to explain the effects of various settlement possibilities.

Reason 7: The Role of a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst® plays in a ‘Mediated’ divorce.

The role of a mediator is to move their clients out of the realm of fear and lashing out into problem solving. Mediation will help the client explore options by being informed and by putting new ideas on the table. This is not a financial product focus but rather a lifestyle focus. Mediation’s focus is mainly on protecting the children, if there are any, and gaining a plan for how co-parenting will work. However, a CDFA® can help by answering some important financial questions:

• Can one person successfully maintain the house? Can this be done without causing the other person to lose out, and how would that work?
• What financial arrangements can be made to achieve the best possible outcome for all parties? Should assets be sold and split or is there a more tax-efficient approach? Who wants the IRS to win!
• Can the distribution of assets that can be accessed quickly versus those that must wait until retirement be managed so that each person has enough money for cash-flow today or for a down payment on a place to live?

Mediation can be a valuable option by putting the children first, less stress for both parties and can certainly be more affordable and cost effective.