Category: Divorce

Two unions are formed when becoming wed: 1. Personal 2. Financial Over my years in the forensic accounting field I have, unfortunately, witnessed many divorce proceedings primarily focus on the personal union with mere basic attention to the financial union (i.e. filing a financial affidavit, assets and liability schedules, and compute alimony and child support guidelines). This can cause insurmountable determents to the parties involved! The financial union of individuals must be looked at as a business. Are all the… Read more ›

Concerns over equity have historically been discussed in divorce proceedings ‐ but often from a high‐level view with reliance on loosely assembled information. While practical in decades past, I am witnessing a shift and demand for tighter, supplemental micro‐level analysis as home values and equity continue to sharply rise. Determining equity claims was once easy; twenty percent down, eighty percent financing and a house was paid off in thirty years. Armed with an original HUD closing statement, professionals could sort… Read more ›

Your team is in the courtroom. The judge asks how your values and assumptions were determined. Your team responds with a loose explanation, little back up support, and notes your information came solely from your client’s testimony. The judge asks the same question to opposing council. “We relied on certified financial experts. Please see reports ABC, line items DEF, and exhibit XYZ. Information has been obtained and validated from third party sources and noted on the supplied index. The expert’s… Read more ›

Jane Ochsman Rowny, principal at Councilor, Buchanan & Mitchell (CBM), will present to the Bar Association of Montgomery County’s Collaborative Law section on April 24, 2018 from 12 noon to 1 pm. The topic, the role of a financial neutral in family and civil collaborative cases, reflects’ CBM’s expertise in this area. CBM partners with attorneys, social workers, counselors and other industry professionals to facilitate the separation of couples while managing the legal, financial and emotional components of the dissolution… Read more ›