Questions and Answers
Here are answers to questions you may have.
- IF I HIRE AN ATTORNEY THEY WILL LOOK OUT FOR MY BEST INTEREST AND FIGHT FOR ME. WHY SHOULD I HIRE DKYM2?
You may win or you may lose this expensive fight, there is no guarantee. The only guarantee is that it will be very expensive and take a long time to settle. An adversarial divorce may result in unnecessary fear and revenge decisions by one or both of you.
DKYM2 will fight for you so you can start your new life as quickly as possible, with the most assets and cash plus a success plan for the future. You won't get that from your attorney. - CAN A MEDIATED SETTLEMENT GET ME MORE MONEY THAN AN ATTORNEY?
The court system and its attorneys will absorb most of your cash and assets and extend the suffering of family members.
At DKYM2, our main focus is to get you through the process as quickly as possible with the most cash and assets, the least amount of stress, the least amount of taxes to pay and with a financial plan for the future. Along the way, you'll also learn a new way of communicating with your ex-spouse—without the financial burden of attorney fees or court costs.
- HOW MUCH WILL I SAVE IF I USE DKYM2?
Since your other option is to hire an attorney and enter the lengthy California Family Law Court process, your savings will be significant. How much you save is based on your financial worth. It is a well known fact that the more money you have, the more it will cost and the longer it will take. See our flat fee compared to typical attorney fees. - BESIDE THE HUGE COST OF ATTORNEYS, WHAT ELSE COULD HAPPEN TO MY CHILDREN AND ME IF WE HIRE ATTORNEYS AND ENTER THE DIVORCE SYSTEM?
You could lose everything including the right to see your children. You could end up bankrupt and still be in court for years. For details, see Your Kids Pay the Price... - HOW QUALIFIED ARE YOUR EXPERTS?
Each team professional member is selected based on their experience and success in their particular field and they are trained by our Board Members assuring the best possible results for your divorce. Your divorce settlement process is based on step-by-step collaboration and review by all team members. - ARE THERE ANY OTHER COSTS IN ADDITION TO YOUR FLAT FEE?
Yes - and here they are:
Court Costs
You pay the court costs which is different for each county. Court costs average $350 per person.
Business Valuation
If you own a business and cannot agree on its value we will hire for you a certified business valuation expert who will complete the valuation timely and follow standard valuation practices. The cost varies greatly depending on the complexity of the business. All valuations are reviewed by the National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts. This professional organization offers this service to their members for a small fee. We require this “second opinion.”
Career Counseling
If one of you requires it, career counseling is an additional fee. - WE HAVE FEW ASSETS, SOME DEBT AND NO CHILDREN. CAN DKYM2 HELP US OR SHOULD WE HIRE ATTORNEYS?
We can help you. Attorneys and the court will focus on your debts as an area of contention which will create more debt. They will take advantage of your inability to agree on how to divide the debt. This process will be lengthy, costly and emotionally draining. - WE HAVE A BUSINESS. HOW DO WE DIVIDE THIS FAIRLY?
If you own a business and cannot agree on its value we will hire for you a certified business valuation expert who will complete the valuation timely and follow standard valuation practices. You pay for this service. The cost varies greatly depending on the complexity of the business. All valuations will be reviewed by the National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts (NACV) - AFTER FILING FOR DIVORCE CA LAW DEMANDS THAT 6 MONTHS PASS BEFORE A DIVORCE IS FINAL. HOW CAN YOU COMPLETE A DIVORCE IN ONLY 60 DAYS?
Our settlement process takes 60 days or less. After couples have reached an agreement on asset & debt distribution and a parenting plan we file your divorce which includes the Marital Settlement Agreement. Six months later your divorce is final. - WHEN SHOULD I FILE FOR DIVORCE?
Do not file for divorce until you talk to DKYM2. If you file before you meet with DKYM2 you have entered the “court system.” Filing for divorce is a lawsuit and your spouse must respond to your lawsuit usually through an attorney and then, the “system” has you. - WE HAVE HEALTH AND LIFE INSURANCE POLICIES, HOW ARE THESE DIVIDED?
These insurance policies and health issues will be identified and addressed by your team CPA and Financial Planner, on a case-by-case basis. - WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CHILD SUPPORT AND TIMESHARE AND HOW ARE THEY RELATED?
Timeshare is the percentage of time you are given by the court to spend with your children. Child support is the monthly payment to your ex-spouse. Government child support law calculates the amount of your child support based on your income and timeshare percentage. This approach has resulted in both husbands and wives fighting for years over more timeshare in order to gain a financial advantage. High attorney fees, depression and loss of income due to court battles only damages the long-term financial outlook for everyone. There will be less money for the children. - IS FAIR CHILD SUPPORT POSSIBLE WITH DKYM2?
Yes. DKYM2 wants to help both parties feel they have reached a fair settlement without either party using the children as income producing property. In our process you first agree to a legally binding Parenting Plan with the guidance of your team Facilitating Counselor without considering child support amounts. Your team Financial Planner will help you create budgets based on the costs of the children and the needs of each household. Child support is then based on the actual needs of the children. Your team CPA will reduce the amount of tax liability on the child support through tax planning. California state guidelines are not ignored. The support agreement becomes part of the legally binding Marital Settlement Agreement. - IS YOUR DIVORCE PROGRAM LEGALLY BINDING
Yes. The Marital Settlement Agreement that you and your spouse agree to and sign is filed with the court along with all other documents as required by law. A Judge then approves and signs all the court documents. You are divorced six months after filing the Marital Settlement Agreement (Divorce Papers). - CAN WE CHANGE OUR TIMESHARE AND CHILD SUPPORT AGREEMENT AT A LATER DATE?
Yes. By law child support and child custody are always at issue – meaning they can be changed at any time. When you require a change DKYM2 can help you reach an agreement without going to court. This is an additional cost. - CAN WE CHANGE THE PROPERTY SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT AT A LATER DATE?
No. You cannot change the Property Settlement unless you can prove fraud. - HOW IS ALIMONY DETERMINED BY THE COURTS?
In most cases attorneys will not agree on an alimony amount therefore, a judge will set an amount. There are guidelines for the judge to follow, however a judge has total discretion. They can award any amount of alimony or none at all. The judge’s decision is very difficult to overturn at best.
- HOW IS ALIMONY DETERMINED BY DKYM2?
Alimony is addressed during the budget part of our 6 step program and is based on the needs of the household with the lowest income. Your team Financial Planner and Facilitating Counselor will review your case and determine if career training needed. - CAN THE COURT MANDATE CHILD SUPPORT AMOUNTS?
Yes. Government child support law calculates the amount of your child support based on your income and timeshare percentage. However, a judge can override this amount and assign additional child support such as health care costs and child care costs, etc. The judge can also assign income based on his opinion. Many times this can be grossly unfair. - HOW MUCH DOES YOUR DIVORCE PROGRAM COST?
See our fee schedule
- CAN I MAKE PAYMENTS?
No. - DO YOU ACCEPT CREDIT CARDS?
Yes. VISA and Mastercard. - IS YOUR FEE REFUNDABLE?
No. - WHAT IF MY SPOUSE WANTS TO BE REPRESENTED BY AN ATTORNEY THROUGHOUT YOUR 6 STEP PROCESS?
This is not allowed. The purpose of our mission and process is not to go through divorce court and its attorneys but to go around it. However, either party may consult with an outside attorney at any time to review their rights. This attorney may not represent the client in the 6 step/60 day process.
- MY SPOUSE WILL NOT BE HONEST WITH INFORMATION NECESSARY FOR A FAIR AND EQUITABLE SETTLEMENT. CAN DKYM2 HELP?
Yes. Your team Certified Public Accountant and Financial Planner will examine all bank statements, investments, tax returns, paycheck stubs, credit card statements and other documents to determine the complete financial picture. It is your responsibility to make sure all financial documents are available for examination. However, we do not audit for fraud and do not guarantee we will uncover any if it does exist. The budget process and lifestyle questions will uncover the typical family expenses. If there appears to be missing information or underreported income you will be notified. Our contract spells out what happens at this point. - WHAT IF WE CAN’T AGREE AT THE END OF YOUR PROGRAM?
This is a rare occurrence. Our process is a series of agreements built upon each other. At the end of the process when you meet with your Team Mediator, you may have only one or two areas of disagreement. Our skilled mediators will help you to settle these disagreements and complete the process. If you still cannot reach an agreement you will then meet with our Special Assignment Mediator who will identify and help you remove the barriers. If this is not successful we will refer you (at your own cost) to Alternative Dispute Resolution where a retired judge will decide the remaining issues for you and you again avoid family law court. This is binding. - WHAT IS A FACILITATING COUNSELOR?
Your team Facilitating Counselor is a Marriage & Family Counselor who completes our Divorce Certification Training Program. We hire and extensively train experienced marriage counselors and adapt their talents to our 6-step, 60-day divorce program. This results in a quick and smooth agreement process for you. - WILL IT BE FAIR?
Yes. See our 6-step process - WHAT GUARANTEE IS THERE THAT MY EX WILL ACTUALLY FOLLOW THE AGREEMENT?
Your agreement is a Marital Settlement Agreement that is filed with the court. It is a legally binding agreement signed by a family court judge. If your spouse fails to perform their part of this agreement they will be in Contempt of Court. - WHAT ARE MY LEGAL RIGHTS IN CA DIVORCE COURT?
See Your Legal Rights. - CAN MY ATTORNEY PLACE A LIEN ON MY HOME TO PAY FOR ATTORNEY FEES?
Yes, it is called the Family Law Attorney’s Real Property Lien (known as FLARPL) found under California Family Code Section 2033. Either party must agree to this however, in many cases this agreement is in the fine print of the attorney’s contract.