Saturday, December 16, 2017

Why So Many Couples Need Divorce Financing

By Sandra Hamilton


Divorces are no longer seen as disgraceful. They are, in fact, rather common and single parent households have become commonplace. Divorcing is hardly ever a civilized, sterile affair. It involves a lot of stress and many divorcing couples find the process extremely painful. Unfortunately, divorces can cost a lot of money and many couples simply do not have liquid funds sufficient to cover this cost. In such cases, they may have to look at alternative sources of finance, such as divorce financing.

When marriages dissolve, both partners often end up in a much poorer position that they were in before. In many cases assets have to be sold in a hurry, joint accounts have to be closed in order to share the proceeds and then there is the cost of hiring a lawyer. This can be a very hefty amount, since lawyers charge for every action they perform and for every minute that they spend on a case.

There is some good news, however. Much can be done to restrict the expense of the process. If couples are reasonable and agree on most issues between themselves they will not spend as much time with the lawyers. This can result in significant savings. Hiring one lawyer instead of one for each partner can also cut the fees in half but then both partners must make an effort to accommodate each other.

Contested divorces are often spectacularly expensive because the couple simply cannot come to agreement on important issues. In such cases expert witnesses, which are very expensive, may be needed. The case can take up a lot of tie in the court and each day in court result in very steep legal costs. The best route is to agree to an uncontested divorce. Only one lawyer needs to be paid and he will not spend a lot of time on the case.

If there do not seem to be any alternatives, divorcing couples can apply for a special loan. Many institutions specialize in loans meant for paying the cost of divorcing. These loans are expensive, however, and it is not uncommon to pay a commission of up to fifteen percent of the loan amount. Such loans should be seen as a last resort because they can easily plunge both partners in serious long term debt.

Many divorces become more complicated because the two partners cannot agree on the way in which their assets should be shared. If there is no money to pay for the process, it may be best to sell an asset rather than apply for a loan. Selling a asset does not involve protracted ongoing payments and high interest fees. It is often also possible to quickly liquidate investments and even pension funds in order to raise cash.

Many newly married couples purchase special insurance policies that specifically make provision for the cost of legal services in the future. To many this may sound like callous planning for a certain future divorce. This is not necessarily the case, because such policies can also be important if the couple encounter other types of legal problems. It may be a good idea to approach a financial advisor in this regard.

Getting divorced can indeed be expensive, but it need not cost a fortune. The secret lies in adopting a reasonable attitude, to communicate with each other and to make as many decisions in private as is possible. This will cut the time spend in the presence of a professional and will subsequently lower the final cost.




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