Why I choose to be a Financial Neutral

Lockdowns and isolation have not been kind to some relationships this year. Add to the mix isolation and perhaps even financial stress and you can easily understand the rise in divorce at present. Divorce and Separation evoke strong emotions - stress, anger, shame and sadness are the ones that jump to mind but not all divorce or separation has to be this way.

Collaborative Law is a new way of dealing with divorce and separation (I tell a small lie, it’s not new having been around for over 20 years!!) And, its gaining popularity because of its bespoke nature. It is well documented that litigation can be a bitter, expensive, drawn-out process.

So why would do we choose to get involved in divorce matters when we can work with happy retirees? Because we have seen the results of pressured decision making, confusion, fear, lack of clarity and (unfortunately) misinformation, time and time again.

In collaborative law a financial planner is referred to as a financial neutral (I know, the titles in collaborative matters are in need of a thesaurus) and are trained in the collaborative process. Our role is to provide financial guidance and modelling on your options so that you can negotiate a fair, considered financial settlement that ideally meets most of everyone’s key concerns. This is not always simple and straightforward and requires both parties to be open-minded and understanding of the possible trade-offs. Yes, trade-offs. Divorce should not be a win at all costs process but one that provides options that and sees you both with a reasonable and agreeable outcome.

Financial guidance provides people with the ability to stress test cash flows, consider multiple scenarios, learn about any areas of financial concern and improve their understanding of each parties financial needs and goals. This provides confidence and clarity at a time when things feel cloudy and confusing.

The collaborative process respects families and aims to preserve relationships. We are all about people making the best financial decisions, it’s a great mix.

You can find collaboratively trained professionals at CP NSW www.collabprofessionalsnsw.org.au

While all care has been taken in the preparation of this material, no warranty is given in respect of the information provided and accordingly neither Tanya Carlson, GPS Wealth Ltd nor its related entities, employees or agents shall be liable on any ground whatsoever with respect to decisions or actions taken as a result of you acting upon such information