WOMEN, DIVORCE AND MONEY

by Mary Rogers ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 19, 1981

Financial guidelines for divorcing or divorced women that, creditably, emphasize break-even rather than get-even results. Before visiting an attorney, Rogers recommends, a woman should examine family records to calculate her actual cost of living--and hence a realistic level of support for herself and any children. Then, she suggests, attend court for a few days to observe marital lawyers in action before retaining counsel. Given the trend to no-fault divorce law, a so called homemaker should not count on being awarded alimony beyond an interim adjustment period--best used for job-training. (""I want women to work,"" Rogers writes. ""And I mean even the rare woman who will still have enough income after divorce."") Apropos of negotiating a final settlement, she offers brief but informative reviews of assets that may be up for grabs--cash, securities, real estate, closely held businesses, and personal possessions. She also addresses: the pros and cons of keeping the family home; acquiring adequate insurance protection; and tax as well as financial planning. The stress is on give-and-take, and compromise; on building new lives (and hanging on to one's money); on approaching remarriage and cohabitation cautiously (via pre- or non-nuptial contracts). The pep-talk prose can be wearying (""Your sisters throughout the ages have coped with situations as painful as this, and you can do it too""), but the book is a practical resource--and appreciably less hard-nosed than Aspaklaria and Geltner's Everything You Want to Know about Your Husband's Money. . .and Need to Know before the Divorce (1979).

Pub Date: July 19, 1981

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: McGraw-Hill

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 1981

Categories: NONFICTION