10 Reasons to Use a Financial Neutral in Every Collaborative Case!
(These reasons are also the same for Mediation.)
- As a neutral, the financial professional’s role is to act as an unbiased facilitator for the process.
- The financial neutral is also the logical professional to host and open meetings, set agendas and keep everyone on schedule.
- 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.
- 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.
- The neutral opinion can also realistically reduce the need for lengthy, back and forth negotiations between clients and their attorneys.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.