You'll learn the important divorce laws that will affect you, and how to use them, under the specific guidance of your divorce lawyer, to your advantage.

Look. Divorce is not fun, and it's rarely easy. I can't change that.

But at least it can be fair.

To significantly increase the chances of getting a fair result in your case, sign up for my free Divorce Smarter course.

   
I'm Going To Tell You A Story.

 Through the eyes of "Rob", my fictitious divorce client.

Bit by bit, over the next 10 days.
 
Starting with the day that it all  "hit the fan" when he figured out that Sue was having an affair with Alan.
 
The 10 email Divorce Smarter course will look at Rob's choices based upon this story. 
 

I created Rob's story based upon thousands of divorce cases I’ve resolved for over 5000 New Jersey clients over the past 38 years.
 
Bits and pieces of what became "Rob's story" came from cases here and there.
 
So that you now have a detailed and interesting place to begin to learn how to Divorce Smarter.

 
Ready to get a huge edge in your divorce case?

I think this is going to really help you.

Let's go...

SO HERE'S WHAT HAPPENED...

During our first consultation,Rob said, "My wife is a narcissist,  and I just found out that she is sleeping with my best friend. I want a divorce!"

That's the first thing that Rob told me.

Rob's a good guy who has gone through hell.

Understandably, he was a bit of a mess when we first met.

But he's turned it all around and made a great life for himself and his kids.

I'll show you how he did it, and I'll give you ideas for how you can get a fair settlement, too.
 
SOMETHING'S NOT RIGHT

Rob and Sue live in Holmdel, New Jersey with their 3 kids.

The accounting firm that Rob works for as a CPA has an office nearby where he could work, but he makes far more money in Manhattan, and living in New Jersey is expensive.

It's a long day, but it allows him to provide his family with a 6-figure income.



Sue stopped working when they had their first child 15 years ago, and she's been a homemaker ever since.



He said that Sue can be self-absorbed, a "know-it-all", controlling, and demanding.

“She's pretty narcissistic" he told me.

A week before he first spoke with me, he put a tracking device on Sue's car "....just to make sure that she wasn't cheating.
 

THE BETRAYAL

That day at 12:42 PM, Rob's life changed forever.

The tracking device notified his iPhone that Sue's Range Rover was in his best friend Alan's garage. "What the hell is she doing there?" he thought.

Then, rage.

He quickly got himself a shot of Jack Daniels from his desk drawer.



"Hi Honey!" he said into his phone, his heart pounding out of his chest, feeling the drenching sweat rolling down his hand. "What are you doing?"



"Why do YOU care?" she said. You're a workaholic! All YOU do is work, while every day I have to get the kids off to school and clean the house. I can't wait to get out of here, but you never help, and I've just been too busy today!”



Then a long, uncomfortable silence.

They both knew.



He called Alan. The phone rang 8 times. Then voicemail.


ROB IS FURIOUS

He stormed into the house two hours early.



"I'm outta here!" he blurted out as he moved past Sue to the master bedroom to grab some personal things.



"You stink like Jack Daniels again! I knew that you went back to drinking. And if you weren't working all the time, you would have noticed how unhappy I've been!" she screamed at him.



"I want a divorce, you devious, cheating narcissist!" he yelled back at her.



"YOU want a divorce? I'll give you a divorce that you'll never forget, you obsessive-compulsive workaholic!"



"So now I'm both a workaholic AND an alcoholic? I bust my ass to give you everything that you've ever asked for, and you're screwing that sleazy bum Alan?
You won't get a damn nickel from me, and I'll take custody of the kids from you!" he screamed at her.

"YOU caused this" Sue replied. "It's not my fault. And you can forget about seeing your kids! They can't stand you because you're never here! I'm gonna go for the jugular and take you for everything that you've got...and by the way...following me with a tracking device is illegal stalking in New Jersey, genius. I'm gonna ask the Judge to put your ass in jail, you creepy stalker!" she yelled with a smile.

Rob looked at me with a tired, dazed look.

"What a narcissistic nut job.

How the hell did I ever marry that wacko?"



HIS CONCERNS

"I won't pay a dime of alimony!" he sobbed after a minute or so.

"And that cheating bitch isn't getting any of my 401(k), my IRA, my pension, or any of my stocks.

She deserves nothing from me.

Let that jackass support her."

In addition, Rob said that he wants to ask the Judge for sole custody. He said that Sue is an unfit mother, and that the kids would rather live with him anyway.

He also said that he wants a full psychological report done on her "...to prove that she is a narcissist."



ROB NEEDS HELP

At times, through his rage, Rob realized that he was speaking and acting irrationally, but he was having trouble being calm.



The next morning on the ferry to Manhattan, a commuter friend recommended my DIVORCE SMARTER course to him.

Rob subscribed from his iPhone and his first email arrived right away.

He read it on the ferry on his way to work.

He told me that the first email was so useful to him that each day thereafter he looked forward to receiving his email from me.

Rob told me that these daily emails answered a lot of his questions and gave him a lot of emotional comfort.

Ultimately, Rob hired me to represent him in his divorce case.

I helped him understand the law, and in particular, the way that our divorce court judges in New Jersey tend to apply the law to situations like his.



Together, we explored a series of realistic settlement possibilities.



I also recommended several therapists and financial experts to him.



Rob hired a therapist who helped him deal with his feelings of betrayal, got him to slow down and think about what his goals are, and helped him to focus on what type of custody arrangement is in the best interest of his children.



He also hired a financial advisor, who helped him get a better grasp on his finances to support his divorce case's financial theory.



He and Sue attended a special custody mediation program at the Court House.



We exchanged multiple settlement proposals with Sue's lawyer, and Rob and Sue, with their attorneys present, participated in mediation of the economic issues.




THEY SETTLED

Ultimately, Rob settled the case in a way that meets his needs and the needs of his children.



Sue was not able to "take him for all that he's got."

Not even close.

It was a fair deal.



There was no need for an expensive, drawn-out contested trial.

Issues of custody and money, that at first seemed impossible to resolve, were worked out fairly.



Ultimately, Rob and Sue had a simple uncontested divorce hearing at the County Court House.

He then began to heal.




ROB'S LIFE GOT BACK ON TRACK

Rob called me to say "hello" recently.

He sounded like a new man.

He told me that working with a therapist taught him how to manage the rage that at one time had consumed him.



He said that his relationship with his children has never been better, and that he was surprised to find that he is not lonely but rather that he's enjoying his freedom.

He's dating.



He's able to afford to do what's important to him.



"Life is good!" he told me.
 



WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOU

Rob's story, by design, lightly touches on a lot of issues: Infidelity. Separation. Custody. Narcissism. Substance abuse. Alimony. Child support. Who gets the house. How to distribute other marital property. And much more.

WHAT THE COURSE DOES


Using Rob’s story, the Divorce Smarter course walks you through the entire New Jersey divorce process, one short email at a time.


You’ll learn how all of these issues eventually get worked out.


After the first 10 days, you’ll continue receiving emails that go deeper into these and many other common issues.

And you will get an enormous advantage in your NJ divorce case.

Until next time,

Steve

Steven J. Kaplan, Esq.