Is Being Amicable The Right Way to Divorce?

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - Feb. 2, 2019 - PRLog -- With the world's richest couple calling it quits after 25 years of marriage, the question becomes "Is divorcing amicably the new trend in divorce?"

Unlike the very ugly public split of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and his longtime wife MacKenzie made the joint announcement on social media saying, "though the labels might be different, we remain a family, and we remain cherished friends."

The couple's approach to detangling from a 25-year marriage is not surprising to Robert Merlin, a Coral Gables collaborative attorney and a member of the National Association of Divorce Professionals (NADP). "It's an intelligent decision. It's a mature decision. Clearly, it's one that he and his wife determine is the best interest of their family by determining their own fate and that of their children instead of empowering a judge to force the decision on them," he says.

Statistics show that more and more people are choosing to not fight in court; they want to resolve their differences as quickly as possible as inexpensively as possible and move on with their lives.

So is there a right way to get divorced when it comes to finances? Whether you are the wealthiest couple in the world or John and Jane Joe with a regular bank account.

"Just because it's amicable, it's not simple or inexpensive," says Avani Ramnani, Director of Financial Planning and Wealth Management at Francis Financial and Director of the NADP (https://www.thenadp.com/) chapter in Manhattan.

In the case of the Bezos', reports indicate that the couple did not have a prenuptial agreement. MacKenzie may be entitled to the half of his estimated $144 billion net worth.

Also, the couple lives in Washington, which is a community property where all assets and debts accrued during the marriage are considered equally owned by both spouses.

Many divorce professionals agree there is no right or wrong way to divorce. The only right way is the way that is in the best interest of the couple and their children.

"Children are always the collateral effect of everything in divorce that's why we must work together to change the experience for all involved," says NADP Co-Founder Liz Becker.

Putting families first is the goal of the National Association of Divorce Professionals.

Its members are at the forefront of leading the movement to change the way families experience divorce. In just two years they have grown from three South Florida chapters to more than thirty chapters across the country. Professionals in the Legal, Financial, Mental Health and Real Estate Fields unite monthly to create strategic alliances and gain access to valuable divorce-centered education.

The NADP is hosting their inaugural annual conference at the Westin Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort from March 7-9th, 2019.
(http://www.cvent.com/events/nadp-2019-experience-conferen...)
Divorce professionals from across the country will come together at NADP Experience 2019 to learn more effective ways in which they can serve their divorcing clients and manage their practices.

"In a highly competitive market, many professionals from various industries are choosing to specialize in divorcing clients, and if they do so, we want them to do it right," says Liz Becker, Co-Founder of the NADP.

Facts:

• Researchers estimate that 41 percent of all first marriages end in divorce.
• 60 percent of second marriages end in divorce.
• 73 percent of second marriages end in divorce.
• The US has the 6^th highest divorce rate in the world, with Russia ranking number 1.
• Every 13 seconds there is one divorce in America. That equates to 277 divorces per hour, 6,646 divorces per day, 46,523 divorces per week, and 2,419,196 divorces per year.