Five Lessons for a Successful Mediation

In this blog posting, Ada Hasloecher offers five lessons that have held her clients in good stead during their mediations:

• Don’t denigrate your opponent
• Take responsibility and ownership of your actions
• Pick your battles
• Not every battle is a war
• Compromise is NOT a dirty word

Untangling Lives: The Divorce Mediation Process

Divorce mediation, as opposed to a contested divorce (in which each spouse hires an attorney and fights it out through the court system), is often a better choice for couples. When a couple decides to divorce, they need to begin the process of “disentangling” from each other. They can either approach this task in a humane and constructive way (which mediation supports), or they can let it degenerate into increased anger and animosity (which litigation often results in).

In this blog posting, Susan Ingram writes that mediation provides an approach and structure that supports this untangling of the couple’s life in a “kinder” and more efficacious manner. Ultimately, the results are much better for the couple, and if they have children, for their kids.

In mediation, the couple, with the help of their mediator, discusses all issues together. And both of them ultimately make all decisions. In litigation, the opposite is true—their lawyers take over the negotiation process, and important decisions end up being made by their lawyers and the judge.

If you or someone you know could benefit from assistance in decision making during a divorce, contact Falmouth Mediation at 508-566-4159 for a free, no-obligation, private, confidential consultation. We will be happy to discuss the key details of your situation, address any concerns, and help you decide if divorce mediation would be beneficial.

7 Practical Steps to a Strong Financial Future After Divorce

In this blog posting Sandra Banks offers seven practical steps to a strong financial future after divorce. These include:

• Consult a certified financial planner.
• Consult a Certified Public Accountant/Enrolled Agent.
• Separate your accounts.
• Manage your credit score.
• Update your will and beneficiaries.
• Review you retirement accounts and life insurance policies.
• Review and change your insurance coverage.
• Save.

Reverse Mortgages and "Grey Divorce"

While divorces at any age create financial issues, older folks face unique challenges stemming from their shorter timelines.  That’s especially true in the case of home ownership. In a typical divorce spouses generally have three options for dealing with the former marital house: sell it, own it jointly, or buy out the other spouse.

The second option, though, generally only works for younger couples with school-aged children; older people with grown kids have no reason to own a house together if they don’t even want to live together anymore.  A reverse mortgage, then, can help one spouse buy the other out — and, in the case of the Home Equity Conversion Mortgage program, allow the departing spouse to buy a new property.

In this article, Alex Spanko writes, a lump-sum HECM could be useful to split the home-equity wealth equally between the parties, while a reverse mortgage line of credit could be beneficial for the spouse who remains in the house. The answer all depends on the people’s individual goals, and defining those desires is an important part of the divorce process.

3 Signs You’re Ready For A Divorce

Is it ever right to consider divorce, especially if you’re a parent? Of course, divorce should be avoided whenever possible. It’s not a solution to marital problems. More like an escape hatch – with no guarantee of a happy ending.

In this blog posting Rosalind Sedacca offers three signs that divorce might be the best option for a couple, especially if they are parents. These include:

• Irreconcilable Disrespect
• Dramatic Parenting Conflicts
• Emotional, Verbal or Physical Abuse

You owe it to yourself and your spouse to do everything you can to resolve marital conflict before deciding to divorce. Once you’ve explored all avenues, then you can close the door on your marriage knowing there is no unfinished business left behind.