Demystifying Divorce: How to Move Your Process Forward Pia Koslow & Wendy Hayes

Life is going to be different after divorce. You can’t always maintain the same lifestyle, and change can be scary, especially when you’re faced with unknowns, but according to Pia and Wendy, you can have a “revised happily ever after.” 
One of the keys to moving forward is setting realistic expectations. Although most clients don't want the same things, this divorce team agrees that if can prioritize what you want the most, you’re more likely to get it and be able to be more thoughtful in addressing other things. To illustrate the way couples can lose focus of the big picture, Wendy shares a story of a couple who had over $2 million in assets but, in the end, were arguing over a $20 toaster.
Wendy and Pia encourage you to ask yourself if there's value in continuing to disagree, or could compromise be more valuable? They advise you to narrow in on the real issues. Is this emotional? Is this practical? How can you get unstuck?
Finding creative options can help you to break free and move forward. As Wendy says, “We can't fix the past, but we can facilitate a path to a better future.”
They also recommend tools people can use, such as a therapist, co-parenting counseling, or a career coach for people re-entering the workforce.
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J. Pia Koslow, practices law in Atlanta, specializing in family law for 15 years and was named a Rising Stars for years 2010 – 2016, and a Georgia Trend Legal Elite in 2013, and 2015-2018, both elite designations based on peer recognition, and professional achievement. You can reach her at koslowlaw.com.
Wendy Hayes is a former Chief Financial Officer and Certified Divorce Financial Analyst who has leveraged her own experiences with life transitions to launch Mitchell Hayes. You can reach Wendy at Mitchellhayes.net.

If you are planning on having your child 50% of the time, why might you still have a child support obligation? What information is used to calculate child support? And what if you’re self-employed—how do you confirm your income? Are there factors that that can cause a child support obligation to deviate? Pia and Wendy provide insight and inspiration as they dig into these questions and discuss creative ways to address the realities of child support.
According to the experts, child support is not just for food, clothing, and expenses; it’s also intended to give the children comparable homes and lifestyles with both parents, including extracurricular activities and sometimes ongoing medical expenses as well.
They emphasize that when calculating expenses and negotiating numbers, it’s important to address the real reality of both parents’ circumstances as well as unlisted expenses, such as the division of extracurricular activities, payment for uncovered medical expenses, and potentially private school.
As always, they advocate a focus on creativity and on being open to the possibility of resolution.
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J. Pia Koslow, practices law in Atlanta, specializing in family law for 15 years and was named a Rising Stars for years 2010 – 2016, and a Georgia Trend Legal Elite in 2013, and 2015-2018, both elite designations based on peer recognition, and professional achievement. You can reach her at koslowlaw.com.
Wendy Hayes is a former Chief Financial Officer and Certified Divorce Financial Analyst who has leveraged her own experiences with life transitions to launch Mitchell Hayes. You can reach Wendy at Mitchellhayes.net.

From this standpoint, she suggests, you need to understand the divorce process so you can really set meaningful goals to accomplish and address as you move along your path. Are there additional resources that you want for you or your children before you begin the process? Would it be helpful for a child to see a counselor, for you to see a counselor or for you and a spouse to go to a financial professional get a sense of all the assets and debts and to leave with a clear idea of the balance sheet and an agreement on that balance sheet?
To be successful in a divorce process, these divorce professionals recommend having goals and prioritizing them so that you know what's most important to you and what you’re willing to compromise in order to achieve what's most important to you. But it's very difficult to set goals if you don't understand the entirety of the process. That’s why they created this podcast—to help you craft your process with intentionality during this life changing event.
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J. Pia Koslow, practices law in Atlanta, specializing in family law for 15 years and was named a Rising Stars for years 2010 – 2016, and a Georgia Trend Legal Elite in 2013, and 2015-2018, both elite designations based on peer recognition, and professional achievement. You can reach her at koslowlaw.com.
Wendy Hayes is a former Chief Financial Officer and Certified Divorce Financial Analyst who has leveraged her own experiences with life transitions to launch Mitchell Hayes. You can reach Wendy at Mitchellhayes.net.

One of the biggest concerns when you’re going through a divorce is wondering what’s going to happen with your finances. That’s why you need a Financial Neutral. A divorce neutral is an impartial expert who discovers all the assets, debt, sources of income, and expenses, and then helps to create options for the equitably division of the assets and debts.
A divorce neutral can also help calculate child support, alimony, and other complicated divisions, such as pension plans and employer sponsored retirement plans.
The top three reasons you need a financial neutral are to help you to

Gather and document your financial information and prepare the marital balance sheet.
Provide you with clarity and a path forward.
Follow up with an attorney to help take it to the final step.

Divorce isn’t just a 50-50 division of everything. Listen in to learn what your financial options are.
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J. Pia Koslow, practices law in Atlanta, specializing in family law for 15 years and was named a Rising Stars for years 2010 – 2016, and a Georgia Trend Legal Elite in 2013, and 2015-2018, both elite designations based on peer recognition, and professional achievement. You can reach her at koslowlaw.com.
Wendy Hayes is a former Chief Financial Officer and Certified Divorce Financial Analyst who has leveraged her own experiences with life transitions to launch Mitchell Hayes. You can reach Wendy at Mitchellhayes.net.

Are you thinking about divorce but don’t know where to begin or who to turn to? Atlanta’s top-rated family law attorney, Pia Kowlow, and certified divorce financial analyst, Wendy Hayes, discuss what to look for in choosing a team to help you through the process.
What’s the right way to get started? How much is a retainer? How long will it take? Do I need to draft a proposal? What about the kids? And the assets? And the debt? The divorce process has changed a lot in the last few decades, providing people with more solutions than ever.
No one wants to go through a divorce, but these women want you to know that with the right support team, it doesn’t have to be terrible. In fact, it can even be collaborative. Whether you are Kramer vs Kramer or “consciously uncoupling,” you need people who can guide you through the process and craft it to your vision.
Pia and Wendy emphasize the importance of working with professionals who will tailor their process to your unique situation, speak in a language you understand, honor you and help you accomplish what you want while demystifying the process for you so that you feel empowered to make the right decisions.
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Pia Koslow, practices law in Atlanta, specializing in family law for 15 years and was named a Rising Stars for years 2010 – 2016, and a Georgia Trend Legal Elite in 2013, and 2015-2018, both elite designations based on peer recognition, and professional achievement. You can reach her at koslowlaw.com.
Wendy Hayes is a former Chief Financial Officer and Certified Divorce Financial Analyst who has leveraged her own experiences with life transitions to launch Mitchell Hayes. You can reach Wendy at Mitchellhayes.net.