Our Services
Arons & Associates Divorce Planning is here to help you and your TN attorney with the financial issues of your divorce. Our services give you the information you need to answer critical financial questions like “Can I keep the house?”, “Do I need alimony and is my spouse able to pay?”, and “What is a fair divorce settlement?” You will have peace-of-mind knowing you have avoided common financial mistakes unique to TN divorce that can lead to foreclosure or bankruptcy. Our services help you and your attorney secure your future as you deal with the complex financial issues of your divorce.
Divorce Does Not Have to Be a Battle
conflict and stress.
Unsure Footing?
Do You Know How Much You Will Need in the Future?
Our 7-Step Process
Step 1: Meet
Arons & Associates wants to know what you are thinking. We’ll ask about your immediate and long-term financial needs, your divorce concerns and your objectives. We will explain our process, the services we provide and how we work with our clients and their attorneys.
Regardless of your knowledge of financial matters, we provide financial counseling from our first meeting until our final follow-up session. The services we provide are the “missing link” in the divorce process.
If the financial issues of a divorce are left unaddressed, or, as is more often the case, attended to incompletely, it spells trouble for one or both ex-spouses down the road. Arons & Associates offers a unique and invaluable service to those divorcing — especially helpful for the less financially savvy spouse.
Step 2: Discover
We use an efficient process to gather the financial information you’ll need to give to your divorce attorney. When this step is complete, you and your attorney will know the assets, debts, income and expenses for you and your spouse. We use this information to help you avoid common money mistakes during a TN divorce — divorce traps and pitfalls that could lead to financial ruin.
We examine financial details frequently overlooked during the divorce process including depreciation of assets and the effect of inflation on potential settlements. We provide thorough financial discovery. This is missing in typical divorces and “marathon” mediations.
Step 3: Analyze
We’ll translate confusing financial data into an understandable picture of your marital estate. We use personalized reports to project your net worth and long-term cash flow needs after the divorce. We will create scenarios of property division, alimony and child support for you and your attorney or both spouses and their attorneys to discuss.
Need Sherlock Holmes?
Is the analysis simply not making sense? Do you think that your spouse is concealing income or inappropriate conduct? Are you aware of changes in your spouse’s behavior, increased secrecy, illicit computer usage or obsessive grooming habits? We have associates who specialize in forensic accounting and can review financial documents and tax returns for evidence of:
- Hidden assets
- Salary deferrals
- Excessive spending of marital funds while the TN marriage is dissolving
- Transfer of cash or TN property to others
- Acquiring or paying off of large debts without your knowledge
Step 4: Problem Solve
Creative problem solving is required when crafting settlements that meet your objectives. We can propose different scenarios for the division of assets / debt and create net worth projections for those options. Refer to our case study for more information. You’ll understand what your short- and long-term financial future could resemble if you chose settlement option “A” versus “B”. Accepting a divorce settlement does not have to resemble a game of “Pin the Tail on the Donkey”.
Step 5: Review
Our review sessions educate and prepare you to make smart financial decisions. We meet with you to explain the findings in our financial reports and answer questions in language you can understand. Our clients and their attorneys find review sessions to be particularly helpful before divorce mediation or court appearances.
Step 6: Participate
Arons & Associates is an active participant as we guide you through the financial issues of your divorce. We frequently accompany clients and their attorneys at their divorce mediation sessions to provide on-the-spot analysis of proposed settlements. Our participation ensures clients and their divorce attorneys understand the financial ramifications and tax implications before agreeing to any proposed divorce settlement. We will also appear in court, if necessary, to explain our financial analysis.
Divorce does not have to be a battle. We can demonstrate ways to reduce conflict and stress for both spouses and your children. Reduced conflict during divorce encourages a better working relationship post-divorce.
Common Client Questions We Can Answer
- How much money do I need each month to maintain my standard of living?
- Will I have to go back to work after the divorce?
- Who will pay for our health insurance?
- Who will pay for our kid’s braces and college?
- Does Tennessee divorce law require the father to pay for college?
- How is child support calculated?
- Is a 50/50 split of assets and debt required by Tennessee divorce law? Can I get more or less?
- My spouse had an attorney draft this divorce agreement. Is this a fair division of our assets?
- Will I have to pay taxes or will I receive a tax deduction for alimony?
- Can I keep the house?
- What should I do about paying federal and Tennessee taxes?
- How much money do I need in my IRA to retire?
- I have never paid the bills. Can you help me make a monthly budget?
- I don’t understand the financial statements. Can you help me sort through the mountain of paperwork?
Step 7: Follow Up
After your divorce is final, there is still work to be done. Some tasks are obvious but you may be unaware of others. Arons & Associates helps by monitoring the transfer of assets to make sure they abide with the terms in your divorce settlement agreement. We also provide a complimentary copy of The After-Divorce Financial Survival Guide. This guide, written by our founder Sandy Arons, includes:
- Steps to follow, post-divorce, to ensure the details of executing the divorce settlement are completed properly.
- Checklists for a wide variety of topics.
- Recommendations for being proactive and beginning your new life, post-divorce, free from interference by your ex-spouse.
After my divorce was over, I didn’t realize I needed to create a new ‘Living Will’ or ‘Health Care Proxy’ assigning someone other than my ex-spouse to make medical decisions for me if I was in an accident. My divorce attorney never mentioned these issues. The After-Divorce Financial Survival Guide I received from Arons & Associates included this and other invaluable information, too. I’d recommend it to every divorcé.
With the downturn in the economy and housing market, it is critical for men and women in the midst of a divorce to pay attention to the financial issues of their divorce. You cannot afford to ignore the finances and just hope for the best. Maybe you are overwhelmed or feeling “divorce paralysis.” That is why we are here to help you and your Tennessee attorney. You don’t have to do it alone. The ostrich who puts its head in the sand because it is scared is not any safer. It is just avoiding reality and allowing itself to be a potential victim. Have the courage to face the challenges ahead and make informed decisions now rather than dealing with the consequences of “divorce paralysis” for the rest of your life.
Sandy helped my wife and I clearly understand the money issues of our divorce. Her financial planning, analysis and counseling abilities are the reason we were able to understand complex financial issues and achieve an amiable divorce with a settlement that was fair for both of us. Her thorough work and communication with our attorneys also helped us minimize the legal expenses. I highly recommend her unique abilities and services.
Why Focus On Finances?
Secure Your Future
During a divorce you will make the most important financial decisions of your life. Take the time now to understand the numbers before you sign your final Tennessee divorce settlement. Secure your future and your children’s future. Call Arons & Associates at our Nashville office and find out how we can help you get a financially smart divorce.
Everyone’s financial needs and goals during divorce are different. Every divorce is unique. We offer a variety of services to meet the needs of clients. We will work with one spouse or serve as a “financial neutral” working with both spouses to help gather information, educate and evaluate the financial information you need to consider to get a financially smart TN divorce.
Divorced women who are also single parents comprise the group most likely to file for bankruptcy.