He Said

Barbara and Herb Shapiro are a husband and wife team who own and operate a wealth management, financial planning and investment firm in Dedham, Massachusetts. They decided to write a practical guide to finance and money after divorce after seeing divorcing couples make the same mistakes and wrong assumptions over and over again. The Shapiros have written an eye opening expose of the financial disaster that results when a couple divorce. Two cannot live as cheaply as one after divorce. The divorce ends a financial partnership as well as a romantic relationship. One household becomes two and expenses double while income often stays the same. Their book is primarily aimed at the spouse who never paid any attention to the bills and family finances. They provide basic information on budgeting, savings, investments and financial planning and give readers the information they need to ask the right questions of their own lawyers and financial managers. This book brings a light touch and is sometimes laugh out loud funny as they describe the pitfalls and battles that cost divorcing couples' time and money such as the couple with $500 an hour lawyers who battled over an inexpensive mosquito zapper. The book includes helpful work sheets and charts based upon the materials used by probate courts in determining allocation of assets during divorces. The book also draws upon the expert opinions of experienced divorce lawyers, a probate court judge, counselors, psychologists and bankers with intimate understanding of the financial challenge of divorce. Herb and Barbara work from offices that are side by side and frequently call out to one another throughout the course of the work day. They do the same thing in this book bringing their different perspectives to issues such as children, the family home, retirement planning, the challenges involved when same sex couples divorce, and how to maximize assets to get a fresh start. Their opinions address many of the gender differences