Cheapskate Wisdom … About What to Expect in Divorce Proceedings

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“Half. You get half of the assets accumulated during marriage … I just saved you $400 in attorney’s fees.”

You can thank Diana Mercer, coauthor of Making Divorce Work: 8 Essential Keys to Resolving Conflict and Rebuilding Your Life, for these words of wisdom. Mercer was quoted in an LA Times personal finance column filled with advice about how to avoid ruining your finances when a marriage dissolves. Here’s some more perspective about contentious divorces, from a Pasadena-based family law attorney named Mark Baer:

“The cost of litigating the heck out of a case doesn’t benefit either person. It destroys the family financially, and that doesn’t even consider the emotional toll,” Baer said. “By the time you pay the legal fees, you’re going to spend more than the amount you were fighting over.”