After the devastating discovery of my husband's addiction and the confirmation that my marriage was fraudulent in the eyes of the church, I chose to end my marriage and decided to move forward with a divorce. My challenge was not knowing what my next steps would be. I was paralyzed with debt and not sure if I should borrow money to investigate my husband's activities or hire an attorney, all of which would require me to borrow money from family. Thank goodness it was through encouragement and high recommendation that I contacted Gabriella Martinelli, a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst. My initial free consultation with Gabriella confirmed that my decision to hire her was the right one, so I could get a clearer picture of where I stood financially and what my first steps would be to get my life in order before meeting with an attorney. Those initial steps guided me on the right path toward financial security and future planning.
Initiating the process exposes how vulnerable you are and that your decision will impact others in your life, because you want to protect your children from knowing what led you to this decision. Your mind goes to the deepest and worst-case scenario. It was overwhelming for me because I thought I would be dependent upon others for the rest of my life, and I couldn't see a path forward to financial stability. The shame of exposing yourself and making yourself vulnerable to a stranger can be paralyzing, yet, from my initial meeting, Gabriella put me at ease by giving direction and presenting different case scenarios and opportunities/decisions I could make to guide me toward financial independence.
With guidance and homework given by Gabriella, I soon gained financial clarity and optimism to move forward with hiring a law firm. Although the attorneys were skeptical about bringing Gabriella into my conference meetings, they, too, recognized her analytical skills in assessing all assets and determining paths forward to negotiation. During and after our conference calls, they complimented Gabriella on her skill set as a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst and on her ability to weigh the impact and value when determining the distribution of assets to best meet my needs. When I would get caught in the weeds, Gabriella broke down my financial holdings in a way that let me see the big picture and determine my current and future financial needs.
It is with my highest recommendation that I encourage others in similar situations to first contact Gabriella as your initial step when considering divorce proceedings.