Divorce Mediation
Mediation is likely to be your least expensive, fastest, and least stressful of professional-guided divorce options. In general, mediation involves using a neutral party to facilitate a mutually beneficial agreement without involving the courts. With TruNorth Divorce, you and your spouse will ultimately make the decisions, but our mediators take an active role in your mediation as a “dual advocate,” helping both you and your spouse identify an optimal financial settlement and a sound parenting plan that benefits the entire family.
Our divorce mediators are Certified Divorce Financial Analysts® (CDFAs). Additionally, your mediator is a trained and experienced divorce coach, also knowledgeable about the processing and procedures associated with uncontested divorces in your state and county.
Our Mediation Process
1. Initial Joint Meeting
We conduct an initial meeting with you both where we can learn about your situation, review your financial information, and answer any questions you may have.
2. Individual Meetings
We meet with you individually to understand your priorities, needs, and concerns. This is your opportunity to help us identify a solution that meets your individual needs.
3. DATA Gathering
If you elect our advanced divorce financial analysis and planning option, you’ll be provided with a checklist of needed documents and a shared Dropbox folder where you’ll upload your financial documents.
4. Analysis & Alternatives
With the advanced divorce financial and analysis option, we will apply our expert and detailed financial analysis to generate the best outcomes for you and your spouse. We will assess the options based on your objectives, the guidelines provided by the law, our financial optimizations for both short and long-term consequences, and a good dose of creativity.
5. Meeting & Negotiation
We meet in a joint session to review analysis, alternatives, and discuss the feasibility of each. We’ll continue to look at generate alternatives and meet until a satisfactory conclusion.
If your situation dictates a parenting plan, we’ll handle that here, as well.
6. preparation of legal documents and filings
Once we have agreed solutions, we create the Memorandum of Understanding. We pass it to our legal partners to create the Agreements and handle the filings.
Compare your options and see the added value
A CDFA® is one who specializes in the financial issues surrounding divorce. A CDFA® uses knowledge of tax law, asset distribution, and short- and long-term financial planning to achieve an equitable settlement that optimizes outcomes for her clients. Learn More
A divorce coach has received specialized training in assisting individuals and couples to move through their divorce in a way that respects the individual, preserves dignity and is true to one’s core values.
Get better results and save money by using a divorce coach CDFA-Mediator with TruNorth divorce mediation to handle your divorce.
All-Inclusive Flat Fees
Divorce Mediation with Expert Financial Coaching - One Flat Fee: $3450
- Division of Primary Marital Assets (Marital Home(s), Retirement Accounts, Bank and Brokerage Accounts, Personal Property, e.g., Autos and Boats, and Debts)
- Alimony and Child Support Calculations
- Up to 6 Hours Facilitated Mediation Sessions, including General Divorce Financial Best Practices and Coaching
- Initial Joint Meeting – 1 Hour
- Individual Meetings – 2 Hours
- Financial Negotiation Meetings – 3 Hours
Advanced Divorce Financial Analysis (Optional) - One Flat Fee
- Multiple Settlement Options for Support, Division of Assets and Debts
- Accurate Asset Valuations and Identification of Separate vs. Marital Property
- Post-Divorce Budgeting
- Specific Tax Implications of Settlement Options
- Yearly Cash Flow and Net Worth Projections to Assess Short and Long-Term Implications of Settlement Options
- Advanced Child Support and Alimony Calculations, including Alimony Buyouts
- Joint Marital Home Ownership Calculation
- Social Security Value Calculation
26-Point Custody Parenting Plan (Optional) - One Flat Fee
- Weekly Schedules
- Holidays and Special Dates
- Vacations
- Child Care
- Transportation
- Extraordinary Expenses
- Medical Care
- and Much More
Legal Documents and Processing (Optional) - One Flat Fee
- Marital Settlement Agreement
- Preliminary and Final Divorce Filings
- Never Step Foot in a Court Room or Lawyer’s Office!
*We also offer hourly fee arrangements. Major credit cards accepted.
Mediation is the logical choice When You Want TO…
Gain Control and Have Choices
Your divorce is your own and you should have say in how it’s resolved. While litigation leaves decisions up to the courts, mediation is a guided and informed process that allows you to maintain control and have choices over settlement issues.
Reduce Toxicity
Divorce is by its very nature divisive. Lawyers and courts often make it more so. In mediation we work to understand each party’s needs and how they can be best met without tearing each other down. Children, too, fair much better when a divorce is civil and quickly resolved.
Shorten the Process
A divorce battled in the courts can take many months, even years. Our structured mediation process can be achieved in as little as four weeks, allowing you to move on and build a new life rather than being at the mercy of court schedules, delays, and continuances.
Protect Case Details
Court proceedings are public record. Mediation maintains the privacy of the parties as everything but the final decree is kept outside the courtroom.
Spend Less
Litigation is expensive and can sum to tens of thousands and more. The collaborative divorce process requires the use of 5+ professionals throughout, resulting in a hefty sum. Going pro se (i.e., a DYI divorce) can result in costly mistakes. You will spend less with mediation, while also receiving substantial relative benefits over other processes.
Shelter Your Kids
It may be that no one suffers more in divorce than children. One of the three biggest factors that impact children’s well-being during and after their parents’ divorce is the degree and duration of hostile conflict–mediation mitigates both.
Mediation is smart whether high or low conflict, substantial or few assets, kids or no kids. If you and your spouse are both willing to attend and participate in mediation sessions and engage in good-faith negotiation, mediation is the smartest choice.
Proven Success
The Numbers Don’t Lie
A TruNorth Mediation isn’t the same as most mediations. We bring financial, practical, and emotional coaching expertise to each mediation to create optimal agreements, utilizing sophisticated financial analysis tools and creative problem-solving. As such, while our CDFA-mediators are not lawyers, they are well-versed in divorce and family law and we provide an a seamless option to have your legal papers prepared and filed with the court.
%
TRUNORTH Divorce clients who were "extremely"` or "VERY SATISFIED" past 12 months
Our work with TruNorth Mediation was smooth and quick. Our finances were rather complicated–a pension, restricted stock units, education accounts, child support, alimony, and a mortgage agreement–and we were pleased with the accuracy, thoroughness and creativity that came from their analyses and settlement options.
We couldn’t have gotten through the process without Berni’s knowledgeable and patient guidance. It was a real pleasure working with her and she really knows her stuff!
Berni was so supportive throughout the process. Our divorce and mediation were tangled by a good deal of turmoil and emotional distress, but Berni kept us focused, hopeful, and moving forward until we could come to agreements about our finances and the kids. You won’t be disappointed with TruNorth Mediation!