• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • The Magazine
    • The Peachy Team
    • 2025
      • Spring 2025 (Båstad, Sweden)
    • 2024
      • Spring 2024 (Jacksonville)
      • Summer 2024 (Boston)
      • Fall 2024 (Aspen)
      • Holiday 2024
    • 2023
      • Spring 2023 (Anniversary Issue)
      • Summer 2023 (Turks & Caicos)
      • Fall 2023 (Charlotte)
      • Holiday 2023
    • 2022
      • Spring 2022 (Nantucket)
      • Summer 2022 (Austin)
      • Fall 2022 (Asheville)
      • Holiday 2022
    • 2021
      • Spring 2021 (Charlotte interiors)
      • Summer 2021 (St. Louis)
      • Fall 2021 (Palm Beach)
      • Holiday 2021
    • 2020
      • Spring 2020 (Richmond)
      • Summer 2020 (Greenville, SC)
      • Fall 2020 (The Hamptons)
      • Holiday 2020
    • 2019
      • Spring 2019 (Santa Fe)
      • Summer 2019 (Charlotte Garden Issue)
      • Fall 2019 (Cape Cod)
      • Holiday 2019
    • 2018
      • Spring 2018 (Boston)
      • Summer 2018 (Ponte Vedra)
      • Fall 2018 (Anniversary Issue)
      • Holiday 2018
    • 2017
      • Spring 2017 (Birmingham)
      • Summer 2017 (San Francisco)
      • Fall 2017 (Jackson Hole)
      • Holiday 2017
    • 2016
      • Spring 2016 (Savannah)
      • Summer 2016 (Los Angeles)
      • Fall 2016 (NC Mountains)
      • Holiday 2016
    • 2015
      • February March 2015 (Nashville)
      • May June 2015 (Washington, D.C.)
      • July August 2015 (New Orleans)
      • September October 2015 (Austin)
      • Holiday 2015
    • 2014
      • January February 2014 (Park City)
      • March 2014 (Chicago)
      • April May 2014 (Charlotte)
      • June July 2014 (Charleston)
      • August September 2014 (Santa Barbara)
      • October November 2014 (Atlanta)
      • Holiday 2014
    • 2013
      • September 2013 (Charlotte)
      • October November 2013 (Dallas)
      • Holiday 2013 (New York)
  • Style
  • Beauty
  • Entertaining
  • Interiors
  • Gardens
  • Wellness
  • Insiders’ Guides

Peachy the Magazine

You are here: Home / Wellness Matters / Navigating Shared Costs During a Divorce Journey

May 3, 2021

Navigating Shared Costs During a Divorce Journey

By Robin Perrigo-Mermans, Esq. of ROAD to RESOLUTION

As a divorce mediation and collaborative family law attorney, I am committed to helping spouses navigate their divorce journey. To begin this process, I highly recommend that the couple discusses their options with an attorney. Separating has legal significance and parties shouldn’t separate without speaking to legal counsel. As part of the process, there are common concerns over shared costs and how to handle payments on jointly owned or billed assets. 

I can relate to this as a divorcee who is now remarried. When my ex and I were separated, sharing costs seemed overwhelming. However, with proper guidance from a collaborative divorce attorney, it doesn’t have to be. During the out-of-court collaborative process, the collaborative attorney helps to untangle the spouses financially.  They essentially help you take one economy and create two separate economies. Spouses can do this prior to separating or over the duration of their separation.

Here are some examples of costs that can be shared during separation:

House / Properties

Upon separation, housing costs can be shared. This includes all expenses associated with the house and property, including utilities, internet, and cable. As spouses work toward divorce, dividing these assets is part of their settlement. Sharing costs with a house or any other properties, including rental units, generally remains status quo.

Vehicles

In the instance of a car, whether owned or leased, the car should remain in the possession of the person who uses the car on a day-to-day basis, regardless of how it is titled. The final distribution of the car or other motorized vehicle will be addressed during the collaborative law process or mediation.

Cell phone

Cell phone plans are a common household expense where there are several users on one plan. These plans often remain as is during separation and costs can be shared or handled as they were during the marriage. Once the divorce is finalized, spouses typically dissolve their family account and create two separate accounts.

Health Insurance

If spouses share a health insurance plan, this is typically addressed during the negotiation for settlement. It can be a complicated process and doesn’t need to be handled immediately upon separation. Attorneys and legal teams can provide guidance for this complex topic.

Retirement / Investments

Splitting up retirement accounts and investments is a common concern for divorcing couples. In collaborative law, it’s common to bring in additional neutral professionals, like financial planners and advisors, to provide expertise on dividing retirement and investment accounts if they are complex or have significant tax consequences.

Note: This blog is intended to be informational only and should not be construed as legal advice. 


Robin Perrigo-Mermans, Road to Resolution collaborative attorney and certified mediator

Robin Perrigo-Mermans is a collaborative attorney and certified mediator. She owns ROAD to RESOLUTION, a divorce mediation and collaborative family law firm, in Charlotte. Due to her unique perspective as an attorney, mother, and stepmother, she is an expert in shared parenting solutions and co-parenting guidance. She is committed to using her personal story and passion to help her clients save time and money, while avoiding unnecessary emotional turmoil during their divorce journey and on their road to resolution.

Guest Blog, Wellness Matters Leave a Comment

Previous Post: « Weekend Wants…Splurge or Steal?
Next Post: 5 Questions with Award-Winning Interior Designer Cheryl Luckett »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Instagram icon   Facebook icon   Pinterest icon   LikeToKnow.It icon

Subscribe to Peachy

Sign up for your free subscription to Peachy the Magazine.

Kirsten Dexter Spring 2025 Ad
Capizzi Fall 2024 Ad
Cake For Dinner Spring 2025 Ad
Road to Resolution Ad
Ellen Kelly Homes Spring 2025 ad
Wendy Bilas Ad

Contact Us

Questions? Comments? Interested in partnering with us? We would love to hear from you.

Privacy Policy and Disclaimers

Footer


A special thanks to our fabulous partners:
Kirsten Dexter Fine Jewelry logo     Capizzi MD logo     Road to Resolution logo       Ellen Kelly Helen Adams Realty logo       Cake For Dinner logo     Lisa Cashion SparkWell logo     Wendy Bilas Fine Art logo

© 2025 Peachy the Magazine · Wordpress theme by Design By Bloom