Mediation and Divorce Blog - Equitable Mediation Services

When you first told your husband you wanted a divorce, you may have said things like, “I only want what’s fair for both of us and the kids” or “I’m not looking to turn this in to an all-out war.”

Wise words indeed...

But wanting a fair divorce and actually figuring out what is fair in a divorce settlement are two entirely different matters.

So what are the things you need to concern yourself with and how can you come to a settlement agreement you both find fair?

Your marriage is ending and the same worries and fears keep circling through your mind:

“Will I have enough money to keep the house?”

“How will I be able to make ends meet?”

“What will I do for health insurance?”

“How will I be able to pay my bills and save for retirement?”

In divorce, all of these fears are normal and have the very same thing in common:

Money.

When it comes to money and divorce, there's one issue that's more emotional, more stressful, causes more disagreements and is harder to resolve than any other.

Whether you call it spousal support, alimony or maintenance, coming to agreement on an amount of money that one ex-spouse will pay to the other to cover their expenses, while still having enough money left to cover their own, is difficult, to say the least.

And the topic of spousal support in Washington State is a complicated one.

In this post, we'll take a closer look at this complex and controversial topic. And shed some light on what a divorcing couple can do to come an alimony agreement they both find fair.

You and your spouse were partners.

And worked hard throughout all the years of your marriage in order to achieve your financial goals.

But now that you’re facing a divorce, you have questions about community property and exactly how the division of assets and liabilities works.

You’ve heard that for couples divorcing in a Community Property state, spouses split everything 50-50, but you don't know how to decipher community property vs separate property, how to untangle assets or debts that have been co-mingled during the course of your marriage and whether or not you and your spouse actually get a say in how to divide your property and debts in a fair and equitable way.

You also want to make sure that all the income you worked so hard to earn doesn’t wind up getting wasted on divorce attorneys and outrageous legal fees.