Why Collaborative Divorce Teams Include a Financial Neutral (and What They Actually Do)

Imagine that you and your spouse have agreed to a collaborative divorce. This approach arguably offers greater certainty to divorcing spouses, as the process favors teamwork and compromise over the uncertainty of a judge’s decree. Of course, there will be many factors on the negotiating table. One of the most crucial aspects, particularly in the years and decades to come, is the financial picture.

Consider the very common situation in which support of minor children is an element of a divorce. Perhaps one spouse left their professional job to work as a stay-at-home parent. Or, there could be business interests, both individual and shared, that either predate the marriage or develop during its course. Retirement accounts, pension benefits, and investment holdings are almost always involved when spouses part ways. And sometimes a spouse might come into unplanned money, such as through a monetary gift from a family member or as the beneficiary of an estate.

In any of these examples, it’s easy to see how spouses could bring two very different numbers to the divorce table. What’s more is that most divorces contain not one, but a blend of the scenarios above, which can make the future financial picture that much cloudier.

The process of redrafting a shared financial landscape into two separate, equitable ones can benefit greatly from an unbiased professional’s help. In this regard, when negotiations about asset allocation begin, one party may seek to add a financial neutral to the collaborative divorce team.

No need for alarm if this happens in your case. In fact, this practice is becoming increasingly common in Connecticut. Similar to the benefit of a child specialist’s role in a collaborative divorce involving minor children, the added expertise of a financial neutral can prove invaluable in many cases.

Here’s everything you need to know about who can serve as a financial neutral, what their role in the collaborative divorce process is, and how they can help facilitate (but never decide) equitable asset division between divorcing parties.

Key Takeaways

• A financial neutral serves as an impartial and joint resource to both parties in a collaborative divorce, is jointly retained by both parties, and does not replace representation by a party’s own attorney.
• A financial neutral is often a CDFA, CFP, CPA, or valuation analyst, and their role is to educate both parties on marital property and debt and to offer allocation options, including an analysis of potential long-term considerations and tax implications.
• Financial neutrals do not act in an adversarial manner and instead seek to facilitate agreement between the parties in a divorce by using the financial information they receive from both parties.
• Connecticut recently passed a new law to further formalize and protect confidentiality in collaborative divorce cases, which include communications with a financial neutral.

A Financial Neutral Doesn’t Represent Either Spouse

The first thing to know about financial neutrals is that their role is to be, well, neutral. They do not serve to further the interests of one party, but rather to help you reach a mutual resolution in the asset part of the collaborative divorce process. So, they are not attorneys who represent either you or your spouse. Instead, their job is to serve as an impartial and joint resource to both parties, first by educating you both on your marital property as a whole, and then by offering an analysis of how to separate and allocate this property fairly. To that end, a financial neutral is retained jointly by both you and your spouse.

Before you worry about disclosure and confidentiality, know that there is a future safety mechanism built into the financial neutral’s role. Just as both spouses and their attorneys must sign a formal contract attesting to complete transparency before any negotiations begin, so too must financial neutrals put their obligations in writing.

Generally, a financial neutral agrees before serving in your collaborative divorce that they will not later serve either party individually, including and especially in situations where the collaborative process doesn't succeed and the case proceeds to litigation. This restriction is designed to promote honesty and comfort for both parties when sharing sensitive information with the financial neutral. And just last year, Connecticut passed a new law that further formalized protections, which we’ll discuss in greater detail later in this article.

As to their roles as educators and analysts during the collaborative process, financial neutrals must be licensed professionals. Credentials commonly held by financial neutrals include:

• Certified Divorce Financial Analyst (CDFA);
• Certified Financial Planner (CFP);
• Certified Public Accountant (CPA); and
• Valuation analyst (CVA or ABV), for cases involving a business or other asset that needs to be appraised.

Of course, the financial neutral’s professional background and specialization should match your divorce’s specific needs. When choosing what type of financial neutral can best address and value your specific assets, your collaborative divorce attorney will help guide you to the right professional.

A Financial Neutral Gathers Information About Each Spouse’s Financial Picture

Now that we know who the financial neutral is, let’s delve into the specifics of what their role is in a collaborative divorce.

A financial neutral takes information from both parties about combined income and assets that constitute the marital property, as well as all debts that may be considered marital. Financial neutrals do not seek out this information in an adversarial way, as often happens when divorces go straight to court. Instead, they rely on the parties’ truthfulness and cooperation to provide them with the information. Once they have all the information, the financial neutral’s job shifts to organizing and clarifying the details and presenting a complete picture to both parties in the collaborative divorce and to their attorneys. Then, negotiations about asset division and debt allocation begin.

A Financial Neutral Models the Options, Not the Outcome

During the negotiation phase, it is the job of the financial neutral to offer practical guidance on potential tax consequences or other penalties, and long-term projections of the consequences of different settlement options. This guidance and the accompanying projections are especially important when considering early access to retirement accounts or the sale of real estate or stocks. But at the end of the day, the financial neutral must remain neutral. While they can and do present different options and potential consequences, they are not the decision makers; the parties and their respective attorneys are.

Connecticut's New Collaborative Law Act Protects Confidentiality During Discussions

As mentioned previously in this article, Connecticut recently passed a new law to further formalize and protect confidentiality in collaborative divorce cases. The new law, called Connecticut's Uniform Collaborative Law Act, took effect on October 1, 2025. It is based on the model law by the same name developed by the nonprofit, nonpartisan Uniform Law Commission, whose mission is to bring greater clarity in state laws when uniformity is helpful. Connecticut is the 27th state to adopt the Uniform Collaborative Law Act.

From a practical standpoint, the passage of this new law created a more standardized framework for resolving family and divorce cases cooperatively and outside traditional court proceedings. Before its passage, confidentiality in Connecticut collaborative divorce cases was largely based on private participation agreements signed by the parties. Under Connecticut's Uniform Collaborative Law Act, the confidentiality of collaborative law communications is specifically protected, subject to certain exceptions. Communications with a jointly retained financial neutral in collaborative divorces are included in the new, stronger confidentiality law.

Work With a Connecticut Collaborative Divorce Attorney

Financial neutrals offer additional help in collaborative divorces where compiling and allocating marital assets and debts prove burdensome to the parties, and can often reduce conflict and cost while working alongside each spouse's own attorney. The attorneys at Lawrence & Jurkiewicz represent Connecticut spouses in collaborative divorce, including cases in which a jointly retained financial neutral is part of the team. If your collaborative divorce case could benefit from the addition of a financial neutral, contact us to schedule a confidential consultation. Please call us at 860-264-1551 or contact us to schedule your in-person appointment, phone conference, or Zoom meeting to see how we can help you.