Why Joint Appraisals, Evaluations or Occupational Examinations may benefit you?

Upon the filing for a divorce, there are various assets with unknown values to be had between the two of you.

As lawyers, we are only licensed to advise you through your divorce in consideration of the benefits and risks of your position for divorce subject to Wisconsin law. There are various professionals who we advise clients to refer to when assessing the value of the marital home, retirement account, prized LEGO collection (or more realistically a substantial firearm collection). One less expected evaluator pertains to the occupational examiner: a professional who assesses one’s earning capacity or earning potential. This becomes a necessity when a divorce couple needs to properly assess a party’s gross income to accurately calculate child support.

Why should you share another cost with your ex-partner? The benefit of this is that first, you two will share the cost equally, thereby reducing the overall fees that you need to incur in your divorce. Ultimately, if the appraiser or evaluator estimates a value that you disagree with, you are still entitled to obtain a separate opinion, this time at your own cost. If the amount you disagree with is a few hundred dollars, it may not be worth the litigation battle necessary to address it. However, if the difference of professional opinion is thousands of dollars, then that is a different story.

We recommend consulting with a family law attorney to best weigh your options and make informed decisions ahead of your anticipated divorce.