When divorce seems imminent, both parties benefit from a professional who is thorough, as finances become inevitably involved.
The back-and-forth between and among attorneys carries with it the risk of acrimony and conflict, which can often be mitigated when clarity and compassion are integrated into the process.
Such is the mission that Stephanie Vokral, founder of The Financial Knot, has embraced as her professional calling. Vokral was the featured speaker recently at the breakfast meeting of the Optimist Club of St. Andrews-Irmo. The financial Knot can and does take an approach to specific financial issues, such as property distribution, retirement accounts, and division of other assets.
However, The Financial Knot is also able, through collaboration with specialists, to seek a holistic settlement that leaves both parties feeling acknowledged and consulted. Those areas of specialty can include clergy, counseling, accounting, financial planning, and even divorce coaching. Divorce coaches are able to construct a parenting model for the couple to follow. It is a common rubric that sometimes “people don’t know what they don’t know.” The collaborative option that The Financial Knot offers can uncover and clarify in those situations.
The law generally favors a 50-50 split of assets, which is normally calculated on those assets at the time of filing. Therefore there is an understandable level of research that must be done to arrive at that financial lump sum. These settlements are crucially important in South Carolina, one of the few remaining states that allow permanent alimony.
The nuts and bolts of The Financial Knot’s services include: (1) Divorce Advocacy Services where Vokral’s team can sit in on meetings and can also make sure all relevant documents are gathered and organized; (2) Couples Financial Planning, addressing either the possibility that the couple will stay together or that they will part amicably; and (3) Special Project Consulting where specific financial issues are the focus.
Pictured Stephanie Vokral (center) is flanked by Optimist Vice President Larry Blosser and speaker host Kerry Powers. Vokral holds a copy of the Optimist Creed that was presented to her.
