Seems completely counter-intuitive, right?

How hiring ANOTHER expert — when you’re already forced to pay for a matrimonial attorney, a law guardian, a forensic accountant, maybe even an appraiser or child psychologist — could save you money. I mean, if no one is making you hire a coach, then you certainly aren’t going to, right?

Wrong. So, so, so wrong.

The right divorce coach can actually reduce your net costs on your divorce. Here’s how.

Every time your STBS (soon-to-be ex) says or does something that upsets you, you’re going to want to tell your attorney. You’re going to fire off an angry email in the heat of the moment. Or pick up the phone. Or text. And every time you do any of those things, cha-ching, your attorney charges you for whatever time it takes him (let’s just assume it’s a “he” this time) to read/listen/respond. A 15-minute phone call? Take his hourly rate and multiply it by .25. That is what that phone call just cost you. An email? He has to read it, think about it, then respond to it. Cha-ching, cha-ching, cha-ching.

You are going to have questions. Lots of them. Every time you email/phone/text your attorney to ask him one of those questions, you are on the clock.

Every person I know whose gone through a divorce admits to having a mini-seizure upon opening their first attorney’s bill. All those minutes here and there add up fast. The most cost-effective thing you can do is to minimize your interaction with your attorney.

The answer? A coach.

Here’s how a coach can save you money. Every time your STBX does one of those things you need to vent about? You tell it to your coach. You work through the anger. You come up with a plan for dealing with it. The plan may or may not involve contacting your lawyer. But if it does, it’s because you’ve decided that it’s necessary, not because of a knee-jerk reaction.

And if you do decide to convey information to your attorney, your coach will work with you to do it in the most efficient and effective way possible, so that the attorney spends as little time as possible reading or listening to your communication.

Also, all those questions you’re going to have about the divorce process in general? A coach can probably answer most of them. Of course, a coach can not and should not be giving you legal advice. But if your question is generic in nature, there’s no reason you can’t ask a coach.

Also, the attorney and his staff are going to spend hours filling out paperwork on your behalf. They are going to work on your net worth statement, organize all of your financial accounts, draft court papers. If you work on these things ahead of time with your coach, you can save your attorney and his staff countless hours and drastically reduce your charges.

So the real question is, can you afford NOT to hire a divorce coach?