Ex was sent letter from my lawyer

[midnightvampyr]

3 years for common law.....the division of assets/liabilities is a mathematical exercise so ensure that you have all the documents from the bank, insurance company, pension administrator. The pension amount will be determined as of the date of separation. The number of years you were married will determine the spousal support that has to be paid by the higher income earning spouse the previous taxation year. Contact your MP and MPP's regarding the seeming ridiculousness of the current system which was put in place by these very same legislators and their predecessors.....

[devastatedmom]

My husband and I are about to start mediation. Our mediator wants to meet with each of us seperately first, to get all the facts. So maybe, if you meet the mediator seperately and you can talk freely, that will help with the intimidation factor. He won't be sitting there listening and commenting on each word you say. I don't know if you will meet together later on as I haven't started yet, but at least to start, it may help. Good luck

[billm]

Originally Posted by midnightvampyr

.....the division of assets/liabilities is a mathematical exercise so ensure that you have all the documents from the bank, insurance company, pension administrator. The pension amount will be determined as of the date of separation. .....

blindsided - I share this view - it is just math (and deciding who keeps what that is not sold - but those items have a monetary value, so it is still just math). It should not be too hard to know exactly what you had/owed when you separated, and you get half - simple. Spousal support is the only tricky issue, as that depends on what happened during the marriage, but that is what the mediator is for! Don't accept less than half of ALL things (debts and assets) - it should be pretty simple.

SS can be a lump sum, but that is AFTER the even split of everything.