Why Hire Joyce
What is a Chartered Financial Divorce Specialist?
A Chartered Financial Divorce Specialist (CFDS) is a specially trained financial professional who is uniquely qualified to provide separating or divorcing clients with an objective assessment of potential financial settlement scenarios.
Every CFDS has received training from and is accredited by the Academy of Financial Divorce Specialists. All CFDS professionals must adhere to a strict Code of Ethics and are regularly monitored by the Academy of Financial Divorce Specialists and other licensing authorities.
A CFDS is not a lawyer and will not offer a legal opinion or advice. A CFDS will, however, analyze relevant information to provide an unbiased opinion about settlement options so that you can make fully-informed decisions.
How can a CFDS help me?
Chartered Financial Divorce Specialists like Joyce are professionally trained and certified to provide unbiased financial advice to individuals or couples who are divorcing (or legally separating). Joyce will help you analyze the short and long term financial impact of your divorce and the pros and cons of different settlement proposals.
A CFDS can:
Analyze your current financial situation by examining the couple’s assets, liabilities, incomes, child support payments etc. while taking inflation and tax considerations into account.
Envision how all the pieces of your financial life interact with and affect each other to create your complete financial picture.
Explain the financial consequences of keeping or giving up certain assets.
Evaluate various financial scenarios and provide projections for each.
Clarify how pension plans, insurance and other investments might be affected by the separation or divorce and review ongoing options.
Present available options to you and work with your lawyer or mediator to design a settlement agreement within those options that works best for you.
Help you manage your budget during this transitional time.
Can’t my lawyer act as my CFDS?
Probably not. Although your lawyer will be able to tell you whether a proposed settlement agreement is legal, he or she will likely not have the specialized financial divorce training or financial planning expertise to advise you about the long and short-term financial consequences of signing it.
What if I don’t use a CFDS?
Not having a CFDS working for you could put your financial future at risk. Signing a settlement agreement without knowing the financial consequences could have an enormous impact on your post-divorce cash flow, lifestyle and well-being.
Being in control of your own financial future and maintaining your lifestyle means having a financially savvy expert looking out for you. Joyce will guide you through the financial planning process before, during and even after your divorce to make sure your interests are protected and you don’t get fleeced.