10 Reasons to Use a Financial Neutral in Every Collaborative Case!

(These reasons are also the same for Mediation.)

  1. As a neutral, the financial professional’s role is to act as an unbiased facilitator for the process.
  2. The financial neutral is also the logical professional to host and open meetings, set agendas and keep everyone on schedule.
  3. When the financial professional is brought into a collaborative case at the beginning, she/he can provide the clients and the collaborative team with a solid foundation of financial information from which our clients can negotiate successfully.  This empowers both spouses and the collaborative team.
  4. The unique ability of the financial professional to educate our clients equally and disseminate emotionally laden financial information from a neutral position benefits both spouses.  This keeps the process moving forward and allows for informed decision making.
  5. The neutral opinion can also realistically reduce the need for lengthy, back and forth negotiations between clients and their attorneys.
  6. Paying for one financial specialist (vs. two) will help clients build trust in each other and their spouse’s collaborative counsel; and can pave the way toward a more efficient process.
  7. Financial neutrals actually tend to be less expensive than attorneys, which ultimately saves the client money on time-consuming matters, such as support calculations and financial disclosures.
  8. If there is a financial information power imbalance, a financial neutral can be used to level the playing field by suggesting options that clients and/or professionals might not have considered.
  9. If one spouse has historically been in control of the finances, the other spouse may benefit from the support and analysis of a financial neutral who can educate them on the long-term impact of various settlement options.
  10. Because the financial professional is neutral, her/his neutral opinions and suggestions regarding financial issues may be easier to both receive and understand than ideas offered by either spouse and/or their respective collaborative attorneys.