They're the latest must-have divorce accessory. No, not high-powered attorneys or prenups with expiration dates, but specially trained certified divorce planners. The relatively new field has exploded as savvy soon-to-be-ex-spouses are increasingly seeking a second opinion when it comes to their financial settlements. Jacqueline Gold, head of the Institute for Certified Divorce Planners, estimates that there are 450 CDPs today and another 580 in training, up from virtually none nine years ago.
CDPs, who typically charge between $100 and $200 and hour, scour potential settlements for everything a law school grad wouldn't thin of. They'll scope stock holdings for embedded capital gains, set up alimony schedules, and make sure spouses who keep the house don't get housed (unlike equities, houses can be money pits). The trend makes sense: After all, would you trust you lawyer to invest your stock portfolio?
"Attorneys," opines CDP Morris Armstrong of New Milford, Conn., "are financially naïve."