A financial investigator divorce can be an invaluable addition to your legal team, particularly if you or your partner own substantial business assets. We use our accountancy expertise, investigative skills, and market knowledge to value complex business interests and ensure a fair divorce settlement.
At Frenkels Forensics, our specialist forensic accountants specialise in divorce cases and have longstanding working relationships with many of the UK’s leading divorce solicitors and barristers. We understand that clients needing a financial investigator divorce are often under a significant amount of strain. We strive to alleviate the burden by bringing clarity to the financial issues arising from a separation and giving our clients peace of mind that they and their families will be treated fairly.
For assistance call us on 0330 118 8200 or Make An Online Enquiry.
What Does A Forensic Financial Investigator Divorce Do?
The role of a forensic financial investigator for divorce is to value a separating couple’s assets so that their legal teams and the court can divide them fairly.
When a couple’s assets comprise complex business interests, we use our unique skill set to value those business interests for the purposes of the divorce settlement.
We use various methods to value a business, such as the dividend yield, net assets, and capital maintainable earnings method. The appropriate one in any given case depends on several factors, including the nature and size of the business.
However, producing a mathematically correct business valuation is not enough in divorce cases. The aim of a divorce financial settlement is to divide all the couple’s assets fairly between them. Accordingly, we have to consider the nature of each asset and assist our client’s legal team in working out how to guarantee a fair overall split.
For example, the value of some assets, like the family home, can be expected to rise over time. These are known as ‘copper bottomed’ assets. A party who receives a copper bottomed asset in a divorce settlement can usually be confident that its value will remain stable or increase. However, the value of some of the couple’s other assets might fluctuate wildly. These are known as ‘volatile’ assets. The most obvious example of a volatile asset in divorce cases is a business. At the time of the divorce, the business might be performing well and be worth a substantial amount of money. However, both internal and external forces can dramatically impact a business’s profitability, and it can go from performing well to performing poorly in a short space of time. A party who receives a volatile asset in a divorce settlement may feel that they have been treated fairly at the time but may later feel aggrieved if the value of that asset drops.
Accordingly, ensuring a fair divorce settlement requires consideration of both the value and the nature of an asset. Securing the best outcome for a client necessitates balancing the value of the assets they receive with an acceptable level of risk. This is an incredibly complex task that frequently requires the joint efforts of legal experts and financial investigators for divorce.
Do I Need A Financial Investigator For Divorce?
Not all divorce cases necessitate input from a financial investigator for divorce. If a couple’s assets are easily valued and aren’t expected to fluctuate to any significant extent, the parties or the court may be able to ensure a fair settlement without forensic accountancy assistance.
However, if a couple owns business interests, the parties usually call on the expertise of a financial investigator for divorce to ensure their client receives all they are entitled to and does not assume too much risk. If a case goes to court, the Judge might order that a financial investigator for divorce be instructed to prepare a report they can use when considering how to divide the assets fairly.
Does A Financial Investigator For Divorce Go To Court?
A financial investigator for divorce is classed as an expert witness. If a case goes to court, their report on the value of a couple’s business assets will be used as evidence. Sometimes, the financial investigator for divorce may need to attend the hearing to explain their findings to the judge.
However, the courts are keen for couples to reach an agreement on the issues arising from their separation without having to go to court. This keeps costs down, prevents the matter from becoming too acrimonious, and reduces the stress for all involved, particularly any children. In these cases, the work carried out by the financial investigator for divorce is often instrumental in assisting the parties to reach an agreement. When they are in possession of an impartial expert report, the parties are more likely to engage in constructive discussions rather than arguing over how much their assets are worth, and the chances of a settlement are increased.
To discover more, please call us on 0330 118 8200 or Make An Online Enquiry.
“I must thank you for your invaluable advices in the matter which enabled me to not only to serve a most cogent counter schedule, but were material in securing a realistic resolution in the matter.”
“I am indebted to you for your contribution, and for explaining things in plain English such that even lawyers can understand the issues”
“May I take this opportunity to thank you for your assistance in this matter. Counsel and the judge said that your report was one of the best they had seen in that it was concise and technically easy to understand.”