Divorce
Pre Divorce Agreements – Post Divorce Financial Security
By George Josserme
Mar 2, 2008

When two consenting adults separate each other without pre-divorce agreements, assets almost always become a controversy. The higher the value of those assets is the more is the controversy likely to become. The reason is because physical properties cannot be split in half. The situation those assets create is tough to deal with: who keeps what. It reduces the chance for the two parties involved to remain civilized and reasonable about it.

In the XXI century, those unwanted situations are avoidable. There is an industry intended and meant to help. All that is needed are pre-divorce agreements to work with. Although it may not be totally possible to make everyone happy, it certainly is possible ~and highly desirable~ to achieve a satisfactory solution before a judge decides.

The reason why it is highly desirable to prevent a judge to decide is two-fold: it involves higher costs to the divorcees in presenting the case, and not the least important, the judge's decision is likely to aggravate one of the divorcees. When a judge decides, it can be anticipated that one of the divorcees keeps what is not wanted instead of something that was wanted in the first place. In other words, dealing with a judge resembles gambling.

In the past, a way that was somewhat successful was when "spouse one" keeps the whole property and promises to pay "spouse two" a certain amount of money for the portion of the property "spouse two" is not keeping. Very often, however, "spouse two" was not very happy to receive a small amount of money at regular intervals. That spouse would have favored for cash all at once. In those days, it was impossible to do it otherwise. The good news in the XXI century is that it is all possible as long as there is a paper to work with: pre-divorce agreements.

A well developed industry replaces a sticky situation with wiser and more feasible options not before available to divorcees. It prevents aggravations. It simplifies matters. It contributes to remain civilized and reasonable. As a result, a growing number of Divorce Lawyers are bringing into their practice the benefits of these pre-divorce agreements.

Should one particular lawyer not yet be one of them, one of the divorcees may choose to bring the option of such splendid industry to the bargaining table. However, the crucial issue to comprehend is that learning "well in advance" how to exploit this beneficial industry is mandatory before sitting at the bargaining table. A large number of divorcees already walked out of that table with a deal that filled their hands with money, and put a smile on their faces because they had something to work with: pre-divorce agreements.

To successfully benefit from those pre-divorce agreements, one of the divorcees must acquire knowledge "in advance". It is about learning that a seemingly elusive post-divorce financial security is not so elusive. It is about learning before the controversy arises, before it becomes complex, before the divorce is difficult to deal with, and before aggravations make it all worst. The foundation of it all is knowledge.