Please Take Our One Minute Divorce Coaching Survey
December 27, 2011 by Cheryl Dillon · Comments Off
As part of our ongoing effort to provide the clients of Equitable Mediation Services and Coaching the best possible experience, we would kindly ask that if you find yourself contemplating divorce, in the midst of a divorce or are already divorced, you please take our quick four question survey:
Click here to take the Equitable Mediation and Coaching survey
And while you won’t win any trip to Aruba or a new car (sorry about that!) please know that by answering our survey you will ultimately be helping out those just like you whose lives have been touched by divorce, allowing us to better design and tailor our programs and resources to meet your and their needs.
PLEASE NOTE: No personally identifiable information will be collected as part of this survey and the results will be used for our internal purposes only. Thank you in advance for your help!
What To Do Now When Contemplating a Divorce
December 8, 2011 by Joseph F Dillon · Comments Off
If you’re contemplating a divorce, a question you may be asking yourself is “what steps can I take now so that when the time comes, I am ready to move forward?” The answer? Investigate your household finances. Divorce and mediation each cover four main areas: parenting plans, child support, alimony and equitable distribution. And while 99% of the time in mediation the parenting plan is agreed to by the parties and child support in New Jersey is for the most part calculated, that leaves alimony and equitable distribution as the areas that usually incur the most discussion. What do both of these have in common? They require household financial data to properly resolve them. So if you’re contemplating a divorce, it’s important you have a good grasp of your financial picture.
During conversations about equitable distribution you and your spouse will be asked to provide a complete list of discovery items which include common financial items which show up regularly like tax returns, pay stubs, bank balances and credit card balances but there are some other documents you’ll need which may only be issued quarterly or annually so now it a perfect time to be on the lookout for them. Much like how employers are required to send you your annual W-2 form showing your earnings for the previous year by the end of January, investment houses are required to do the same. Some pension plans such as plans for firemen, police officers and teachers may also only offer an annual statement so now more than ever, it’s critical you keep an eye out for these items so that when the time comes to talk equitable distribution you’ll be informed and can have an intelligent conversation.
Items to be on the lookout for when contemplating a divorce include:
- W-2′s
- Year end Credit card statements – most companies can issue you a report that shows spending by category which is helpful for budgeting later on.
- Year end Investment / brokerage statements – showing all transactions made over the course of the year so you’ll notice if there were any major sales of assets that you were unaware of.
- Year-end mortgage interest and escrow statements – shows interest paid, taxes (usually) and the balance on your mortgage.
You may also wish to do a few valuations of major assets you own such as cars and your house to get a rough idea of what those are worth as well. Sites like Zillow for real estate valuation and Kelley Blue Book for automobile evaluation can help you more fully understand what your home or car might be worth when it comes time to talk equitable distribution. Like the old saying goes “information is power” and by taking these simple steps now, if you’re contemplating a divorce you can be better informed when it comes time to talk equitable distribution and get a fairer settlement.
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Joseph Dillon is a NJ divorce mediator and Managing Partner of Equitable Mediation Services – a New Jersey based firm that provides divorce mediation to clients throughout New Jersey and divorce coaching services to clients throughout the United States. Mr. Dillon may be reached at (908) 864-2177.
Equitable Mediation to Open Three New Locations in Bergen County
October 27, 2011 by Joseph F Dillon · Comments Off
Equitable Mediation Services announced today that it will now be serving divorce mediation clients in Bergen County, New Jersey in the towns of Paramus, Saddle Book and Hackensack, expanding the number of it’s New Jersey office locations to 12.
Managing Partner and Equitable Mediation founder Joseph Dillon said “I know I speak for everyone here at Equitable Mediation when I say that we’re pleased to be able to assist divorce mediation clients in an office location that’s convenient for them during their time of need and by expanding into Paramus, Saddle Book and Hackensack, we’re able to do just that for Bergen County couples.”
Until recently Equitable Mediation Services focused mostly on Central NJ and the lower part of Northern NJ with office locations in Bedminster, Bridgewater, East Brunswick, Iselin (Metropark), Morristown Princeton, Short Hills, Red Bank and Roseland. With the expansion into Bergen County and the towns of Paramus, Saddle Book and Hackensack, clients in those areas will still be able to obtain the benefits of mediation in NJ but in a location that’s much closer to their home. This is especially convenient for those individuals who may live in New Jersey but work in New York City which many Bergen County resident do.
“Our clients come to us from all over the state and up until recently, for those individuals who phoned us seeking mediation services in Paramus, Saddle Book or Hackensack, the best we could do was offer them a meeting in one of our other office locations which for some, wasn’t convenient. Having these three new office locations is going to make it easier on our clients in Bergen County to get the services they need from a firm they can trust. We’ve been mediating for a long time and divorce mediation is our full time profession. Using an unknown firm without Accredited Professional Mediators just isn’t something clients should want to take a chance on.”
Because the laws of the State apply to all clients who are eligible to file for divorce in New Jersey, Equitable Mediation Services is able to service clients no matter where they live. Adding three new Bergen County office locations is in line with the Equitable Mediation philosophy of reducing the stress of an already uncomfortable situation by being where the clients need divorce mediation services the most. For information on the new Equitable Mediation Services office locations, please see the addresses below.
- Paramus Divorce Mediation: 140 East Ridgewood Avenue – Paramus, New Jersey
- Saddle Brook Divorce Mediation: (the Park 80 West building)- 250 Pehle Avenue, Suite 200 – Saddle Brook, New Jersey
- Hackensack Divorce Mediation (opening winter 2012) – 401 Hackensack Avenue – Suite 200 – Hackensack, New Jersey
If you have any questions about divorce mediation in NJ or our services, please call us at (908) 864-2177.
