#BetterInformation

[theprovidencedivorcelawyer]

Mediation works. Mediation is more cost effective than litigation. #divorcelawyer #providencelawyer #divorce #mediationworks #mediation #divorcemediation #betterinformation (at Providence, Rhode Island) https://www.instagram.com/p/CCqBeeTH4ko/?igshid=sfhb58zl6o3s

[pugetsoundmarketingsolutions]

Google Analytics update uses machine learning to surface more critical customer data If you ever doubted the hunger brands have for more and better information about consumers, you only need to look at Twilio buying customer data startup Segment this week for $3.2 billion. Google see… #Searchmarketing #googleanalytics #google #artificialintelligence #machinelearning #analytics #neverstoplearning #learning #consumer #data #betterinformation #customerdata #machinehead #machined

[myhealthstop]

To learn more, visit: https://myhealthstop.co.uk/ #myhealthstop #diabetes #betterinformation #healthconditions #healthandwellness #betterhealth

[dtsdss]

US National Health Expenditures by Type, CMS projections Per Capita, UN Projections

[theprovidencedivorcelawyer]

Sell the house NOW!

The real estate market is in the tail end of an extraordinary seller’s market.  Over the last year, prices have risen due to limited supply and higher than normal demand. Low interest rates have motivated buyers to buy their first home or trade up.  Some markets, like Rhode Island have been influenced by buyers fleeing from high density metropolitan areas buying what appear to be, from their perspective, bargains.  The market has been unbalanced.

Over the last week or so, we have begun to experience a shift in buyer behavior.  Open houses are happening, and no offers are extended, on other deals offers are coming in at or below asking.  We have not experienced that for months.

These micro trends indicate the start of the cooling off of this market.  While interest rates are still low and demand is still high, the market will be strong. BUT it is no longer white hot.  

So, what does this means to those thinking about divorce?  For many, the single largest asset is the marital home.  If anyone intends to sell the marital home and divide the equity---DO IT NOW.  You can sell and divide the proceeds before you file, or even sell and divide once you have file but have not yet had a judgment enter or finalized a settlement.  If it is in the best interest of a divorcing couple to sell the home, it is in the best interest of the divorcing couple to sell the home now. Waiting 3 or 6 months potentially will cost the couple $20,000 to $40,000 based upon median home prices.

[theprovidencedivorcelawyer]

Training day. Working to make our firm better. #betterinformation #providencelawyer #divorcelawyer #rhodeislandlawyer #fundamentals (at Crowne Plaza Providence-Warwick (Airport))

[theprovidencedivorcelawyer]

Sometimes I make money when I do the laundry! #providencelawyer #money #betterinformation 💸☘ (at The House on Turtle Hill)

[theprovidencedivorcelawyer]

Do I need a lawyer or mediator to handle my divorce?

Often, I am presented with the question, do I need to have a lawyer in my divorce?  Can I represent myself?  Or, why do I need to use a mediator?  My spouse and I can work these issues out ourselves.  Well, quite frankly, if you could just work it out with your spouse, you probably wouldn’t need to get a divorce.  But it doesn’t take Sherlock Holmes to discover that Divorce is an emotionally charged process.  Anger, resentment, disappointment, regret and sadness lead many people to seek revenge against their spouse in a divorce proceeding.  Therefore, I always suggest having a lawyer to 1) put things in perspective, 2) inform you of your rights and 3) act as a buffer between you and your spouse.

For example, I had a client who spent over an hour on the phone with me to ‘discuss’ a $30 discrepancy in a check from his soon to be ex. The time spent on the phone cost more than 10 times the discrepancy.  He got my bill.  He saw the light.  More important, he then understood what I had been preaching about perspective.  A divorce is not about winning.  It is not about revenge.  Its about creating a fresh start. Through mediation or litigation, our focus is on your best interests to get to that fresh start.  

It is not about ‘caving’ or ‘giving up’ something. Its about focusing on your interests and values versus focusing on your position.  Let’s take a real simple example.  Your getting divorced and you and your spouse have equal 401K accounts, no kids and a house.  Let’s say the house has $200,000 in equity and you are entitled to 50% of that equity. Your spouse wants to stay in the house for another 2 years, but you want to sell it and take your share of the money. Your spouse can’t buyout you out for 2 years.

If we were in litigation, we would seek to have the court force a sale of the property.  Not only would be that there be legal expenses for each side, but if the court orders an auction to sell the property, the value obtained at an auction would be well below the real market price and would further reduce your equity. If the court ordered the property to be marketed to be sold, any real estate agent representing the buyer of the property would do their due diligence and discover the property was under an order to be sold.  The result would be to drive the price down.

But let’s say we focused on the interest of both parties.  Perhaps a solution would be for you to take an equity line of credit on the property to pull out some equity, or perhaps negotiating a higher percentage to the property to compensate you for waiting two years to obtain your share of the equity. These (or other creative scenarios) options could satisfy both parties, and satisfy both without a deterioration of the equity, dealing with stress and dealing with more animosity.

Solutions like this happen every day in mediation. Solutions happen when you take a step back, gain perspective and re-align the situation with your interests and values.  Lawyers and mediators help you gain that perspective.