6 Ways to Save Money on Your Divorce Costs

Trip fund, holiday fund, emergency savings fund . . . divorce lawyer fund? A recent survey found that the average divorce in the United States costs $18,000.00 to $27,000.00 per person. This is the same as the price of a used Subaru! While you may not have included the costs of a divorce in your financial planning (even if you are the one initiating the breakup), there are steps you can take to save money on your divorce costs.

Want to know what they are? Here are my six essential tips for being a money-smart divorce client:

1. Organizing your financial documents is essential to save money on your divorce costs.

Divorces requires that the parties produce and exchange lots of financial information, generally called the discovery process. I’ve had cases where clients have brought me boxes and boxes of unorganized and irrelevant financial documents.

When that happens, I have to spend hours sifting through this information to find the actual documents that I need. I then have organize those documents before I can even begin analyzing them for content and value. I certainly don’t mind doing this (reviewing financial documents is kind of my thing). However, the client could have saved money on their divorce costs if they had first taken the time to review the statements and discard information outside the time frame requested.

Also, organizing their own financial information allows clients to see if any is missing before I do. Then, they can order the missing information from the appropriate bank or company before I need to ask them to do that. This again saves both time and money. The sooner the documents are provided, the sooner the case can be resolved, the sooner the divorce costs stop, the sooner the alimony payments (if you are making them) stop. You get it.

2. Respond to your divorce lawyer the first time.

When your lawyer contacts you and asks for information or documents, answer them! Sometimes I think my clients believe that if they don’t respond to my email then I don’t charge them for it.

Wrong!

For example, if I have to send a client three separate emails asking for credit card statements I am going to charge them three separate times. Answer your lawyer the first time and cut down on repetitive requests.

3. Being reasonable is the ultimate way to save money on your divorce costs.

I am constantly performing a cost-benefit analysis of pursuing certain actions with my clients. For example, if our best case scenario is the award of an additional $5,000.00 in marital assets but it is going to cost my client $10,000.00 to get that award, then I will generally tell them to settle the issue or not pursue it.

This is really hard for some clients to remember, particularly in custody disputes. Was it worth $300 in legal fees for my client to have me negotiate the return of a child’s lunch box with opposing counsel? Probably not. And yes, that is a true story.

4. Be thoughtful.

Clients have lots of questions about the divorce process. I love answering them. However, I always suggest that clients, if possible, save up several questions for either one email, meeting or telephone call. Sending multiple communications results in multiple charges.

To help with this, I like to schedule phone conferences with clients for specific times to go over their cases or prepare for hearings. This eliminates playing phone tag and catching people unprepared. When I have a call scheduled with a client, I have all the information that I need with me so we can discuss the case without the need for a lot of subsequent follow up.

Plus, the client knows to be in a place where they can speak privately about their matter. This also negates multiple conversations. I find this strategy also works with opposing attorneys.

5. Be ready to let go of personal property.

Can I let you in on a secret? No divorce lawyer wants to fight over your personal property. Let me explain why.

First, people can become irrational when it comes to personal property disputes. I’ve had cases where people have been able to agree on the distribution of houses, 401(k)s, cars, etc. without stepping foot inside a courtroom.

But who gets the crockpot? Let’s take it to the judge!

I’ve seen people divide up used spices, broken Wiis, pot holders, extra paper towels, and drying racks. I understand that personal possessions may have sentimental value and clients don’t want to spend money to replace them when they are already spending lots of money preparing for their post-divorce life.

However, such items are generally never going surpass or even be equal in value to the cost to mount such a battle. Don’t fight over an item for “the principle of it.”

Also, the courts will not value the disputed item at its replacement value but rather its current fair market value (i.e. what you could earn if you sold the item on EBay or at a yard sale). Doing yourself a favor and #treatyoself to a new one. While you may be spending money to replace the item, you will ultimately save money on your divorce costs.

6. Calling a friend or therapist instead of your lawyer will save you money on your divorce costs.

Many clients, particularly in the beginning of a case, want to vent about the breakup. Later on, they want to vent about the court system, the other lawyer, and the law itself. Can you relate?

Discussing some of this with your divorce lawyer is reasonable and helps to create an attorney-client bond. However, please remember that we are not therapists and you are not paying us to be your friends. My suggestion is to get a bottle of wine, call up a friend, and vent away.

Or, if you are struggling with your emotions about your divorce, sign up for my friend Gabrielle Hartley’s Better Apart Masterclass, a six week self-guided course designed to teach you how to deal with your emotions so you can be on your way to your best post-divorce life!

Conclusion

I’m not going to promise that your divorce won’t be expensive. I’m also not going to promise you that your spouse will have to pay your fees. They probably won’t.

I always tell my clients that it’s hard to accurately estimate the final bill as this area of law is inherently unpredictable and is heavily dependent on the actions of the clients as well as the attorneys.

However, if you keep in the mind these six essential tips you will set yourself up as best you can to save money on your divorce costs. Have any other suggestions to keep your divorce costs down? Feel free to leave me a comment.

Related: Ask yourselves these questions when deciding which divorce attorney is right for your case.

Related: Will my spouse have to pay my legal fees?