It was a beautiful day, and everyone’s fancy had turned to thoughts of love–or more specifically, to love’s toxic by-products: acrimony, bitterness, division of property, and child support.
Maton not only examines divorce’s financial ramifications but will testify as an expert witness at divorce trials. “I do settlement comparisons, compare their incomes and assets, how they want to distribute it, and how that’s going to impact them over the course of time,” she explains. “I can document all the economic criteria–ability to replace assets, contribution, health issues, special issues like how much it costs to raise children.”
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She starts today’s session with some basics that, summed up, would fit onto a bumper sticker as “Divorce Sucks.” Marriage seems more of a business partnership than a lifelong commitment. Everybody gets a bad deal when the partnership dissolves, but the wife may lose the most. According to one ten-year study, Maton tells the group, divorced women with children see a standard-of-living decline of 73 percent in the first year, while their ex-husbands enjoy a 42 percent increase.
“Well, a lot of people wonder about that,” Maton admits. “You’re quite right. It’s a lot like life. Those of us who prepare are the ones who usually come out better than the other guy.”
Doug is keenly interested in the child-support discussion. Illinois has rebuttal guidelines, says Maton, which means that parents who want to deviate from preset percentages of the noncustodial parent’s net income have to justify that deviation. “If the noncustodial parent, let’s say the man, is making a good salary,” says Doug, “and he’s paying $1,000 in child support, and she’s making $75,000, then she’s gonna be living damn good. And if the kids are just normal, that $1,000 is way above what she needs. With the amount of money he’s paying, these kids are gonna be living the life of Riley.”
Mary’s scenario is fairly chilling, and Maton’s answer is less than comforting: “Well, I’m sure that the lawyer in that case would make sure that the judge understood that, and I certainly document that sort of thing.”
“Hide it,” Doug suggests.
