Making Financial Sense of Your Divorce

Millie Baumbusch, Michael Bean, JoAnne Donner, Steve Kirson, Robert Port

Michael Bean/Divorce Sense

Michael is a financial professional in the Atlanta area who specializes in evaluating and advising clients on the tax and financial aspects of divorce. With a first-hand understanding of how highly emotional the divorce process can be, Mike is dedicated to lightening the burden of each client by thoroughly dissecting the financial elements of the client’s divorce, with a keen focus on what is in his or her best interests. He is committed to helping his clients understand the more complex tax and financial implications of his or her particular case and provide thoughtful, objective solutions to the financial questions an individual must ask when filing for divorce. As both a Certified Public Accountant and Certified Divorce Financial Analyst, Mike is uniquely equipped to recognize frequently overlooked financial hurdles and inequities in the settlement process, from the unforeseen tax ramifications of losing, dividing, or gaining certain assets to the unveiling of hidden assets. Based on his analysis, Mike advises clients on which assets to fight for and the valuation and division of those assets. He also assists in child support and alimony proposals and provides forward-looking income, expense and net worth projections. Mike received his undergraduate degree in Accountancy from Emory University’s Goizueta Business School and completed his graduate work in Financial Planning from Duke University. He is collaboratively trained by the Collaborative Law Institute of Georgia. Mike is former Vice President and Board Member for the Association of Divorce Financial Planners (ADFP), and is an active member of the Institute of Divorce Financial Advisors (IDFA), two of the most nationally recognized and respected professional organizations in the Divorce Planning industry. Mike has been highlighted numerous times for his commitment to his clients and service to Atlanta’s business community, having been featured in Divorce.com magazine and recognized by Atlanta Magazine as a Five Star Wealth Management ‘Best in Class for Customer Service’ for three successive years. During his 25 years as an Atlanta resident, he has developed strong ties to both his clients and the community, founding and running The Georgia Tuition Assistance Program, a 501(c)(3) organization that awards scholarships to children of single parent households due to death or divorce.

JoAnne Donner/Donner Mediation & Coaching

JoAnne Donner MS, CDFA, CDC, CDPC, is a trained, certified and registered mediator whose areas of expertise include divorce, eldercare, civil, workplace, and family conflict. She is also a certified coach and offers services in mediation coaching, divorce coaching, and conflict coaching. As a mediator, Ms. Donner excels at creating an environment where disputing parties can productively address issues and work toward a mutually-satisfying resolution that considers the needs of both sides. As a divorce coach, she is a supportive ally, helping divorcing individuals successfully navigate the many emotional, financial, and logistical challenges of the divorce process. She serves as a resource for divorce information and professional referrals and also helps clients identify goals and priorities, get organized, and gain credibility and confidence. As a mediation coach, she helps disputants prepare for the pressures, pitfalls, and possibilities of a mediation session. She is a firm believer that pre-mediation preparation can make the difference between a successful outcome at the mediation table or years of wishing something different had been decided on mediation day. In conflict coaching, Ms. Donner helps individuals and families effectively manage relationship and communication difficulties both at home and in the workplace. Ms. Donner is a Magna Cum Laude (first in class) graduate of the Master’s Program in Conflict Management at Kennesaw State University, a graduate of Kent State University, and a member of the Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame at Cleveland Heights High School in Cleveland, Ohio. She is named in Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who of American Women, Who’s Who in the Registry of Business Leaders, Who’s Who in the Media and Communications and Personalities of America. She is a member of the Golden Key International Honorary. An award-winning interviewer and writer, she has been an active part of Atlanta’s professional community for more than 25 years. She has also been active in Atlanta’s charitable community, donating her time to many worthwhile causes especially those assisting the elderly and the developmentally-disabled. She currently is a corporate sponsor, board member, and past co-chair of the Board of Directors of Visions Anew Institute, an organization that supports and educates individuals and families in the midst of the divorce process. She also contributes volunteer time to The Link Counseling Center, a nationally-recognized facility for psychological counseling in Atlanta, Georgia.

Steve Kirson/Kessler & Solomiany

Steve began his career as a labor and employment lawyer with Ford & Harrison. Steve took a detour from the practice of law and was a Financial Advisor with UBS for half a dozen years, working with business owners and other high net worth individuals. Steve returned to the practice of law fourteen years ago, and has practiced family law exclusively since that time. He is a Senior Attorney with Kessler & Solomiany, a firm practicing exclusively family law, and previously practiced family law with Warner Bates & McGough. Steve is AV rated by Martindale Hubbell, is a Barrister in the Charles Longstreet Weltner Family Law Inn of Court, and has been listed in the Atlanta Magazine Top Family Law Attorneys in Georgia for 2014, 2015 & 2016. Steve’s previous presentations have included the Fiduciary Law Institute of the State Bar of Georgia, the Atlanta Bar Association Estate Planning Section, Emory Business School, Georgia Growth Companies CLE and the Georgia Society of CPA’s. Steve represents business owners, professionals and other high net worth individuals, in divorces, post-divorce modification and enforcement actions, custody and support matters, and prepares prenuptial and post-nuptial agreements.

About Gaslowitz Frankel:

Gaslowitz Frankel is an experienced trial practice firm specializing in all aspects of complex fiduciary litigation throughout Georgia and the Southeast. With a focus on representing individuals, companies, banks, and fiduciaries in dispute involving wills, estates, trusts, guardianships, businesses, and securities law, their experienced and highly qualified litigation attorneys have tremendous credentials and a proven history of success.