Divorce & money : how to make the best financial decisions during divorce /

A detailed, nontechnical, self-help law book with this central theme about divorce proceedings: "Legal reality and financial reality are fundamentally different." The authors present a fact-filled review of the emotional, financial, and legal aspects of a dissolving marriage by posing such probing questions as "Is it really over?" "Who should move out?" "What must I know about joint finances?" and finally, "What is it like to go from we to me?" Spouse's rights, children's rights, and the couple's joint rights, the book shows, vary by state and are affected by asset levels and each person's earning power. Financial planning is said to be essential, and the book is specific in its advice on investment vehicles, their tax implications, and most important, their risks. The guide likewise counsels upon debt distribution between all parties and upon such responsibilities as child support, alimony, and the true costs of day-to-day living. It handles settlement negotiation objectively, as it does issues involved in setting courses for life after divorce. Checklists help the user in sorting out the seemingly countless details and making settlement decisions. ~--George Hampton

The authors, all certified financial planners, explain ``how to avoid the financial disasters of divorce'' by stressing the differences between legal and financial reality. They emphasize the limitations of the law and show how to ``craft a strong financial settlement without ignoring the blind spots of the legal system.'' Directing their advice to the layperson, they offer a practical step-by-step plan, beginning with what to do in the ``First 30 Days'' (e.g., move out, handle joint accounts, gather financial facts). Worksheets help in analyzing assets versus debts and income versus expenses; the division of specific types of assets (e.g., property, retirement benefits, investments) is also clarified. While similar books explain how to get a divorce, Divorce and Money is the only one to focus solely on the financial ramifications. Recommended for public libraries and law libraries with a lay clientele.--Frank G. Houdek, Southern Illinois Univ. Sch. of Law Lib., Carbondale (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.