Rating: 
Summary: TWICE BURNED! This is the real deal
Review: 2 marriages down and this book is saving me major dollars in ending the 2nd one!
It has helped me to understand all of the issues that I need to deal with as well as to learn what info I needed to gather. In my 1st divorce, I caved because I did not know where to go to get help with my home work. Now, finally, I have learned the importance of focusing on the facts and documenting all of my home work as well as business transactions.
This book is so very user-friendly.....it breaks down complicated info into readily understandable (in English!) usable knowledge. I read 2 other books on the same topics and my eyes glazed over.....too boring!!! This book is the ONE AND ONLY WAY TO SAVE MONEY IN LAWYER FEES AND EMOTIONAL CAPITAL.....8 STARS****
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Summary: Helpful, thorough and reassuring
Review: As a divorce attorney I look for resources to make the divorce process comprehensible to my clients. This book is full of useful information to help them gain understanding of the divorce process and learn how to help themselves work with me to get the best possible result. I am amazed with the amount of information the author presents in a wonderfully readable manner. I will highly recommend this book to my clients and colleagues.
Rating:
Summary: VERY HELPFUL
Review: From a divorced health professional: This is a great book, packed with up to date, realistic and useful information at a reasonable price, particularly as compared to other alternatives. It is NOT biased in directing the reader to a lawyer, but instead offers practical advice when a "one size fits all" or "cookbook" answer would be inappropriate or varies by state or county. To the contrary, a main point of this book is to encourage the reader to understand the financial issues involved, so as to be able to take personal responsibility to try to minimize legal fees. An ounce of prevention can be worth a pound of cure, before making final decisions and signing on the dotted line. Moreover, a word of caution: the judicial system, as in the court, judges, masters, etc. respond negatively to people who represent themselves, particularly when the opposing side has legal representation. Even out of court, if your spouse has a lawyer and you don't, it would be self-destructive to go up against them on your own. It would be folly to try and "buck the system" to save a buck. In fact, if a lawyer recommends this book to a client, that's a good sign that they will NOT take advantage of that client, who is then well informed, and more likely to be able to do some of the background work for themselves. This book helps take the stress out by giving you the knowledge to help yourself and thereby to help your lawyer, IF you use one.
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Summary: Applause from a Texas Divorce Lawyer
Review: Gayle Rosenwald Smith's book is the most useful and user-friendly book for people going through divorce that I have seen in a long, long time. Her advice is practical, intelligent, and for this Texas divorce lawyer, an invaluable tool that I plan to recommend to all of my clients. It guides the reader through the often confusing jungle of financial issues that arise in divorce in a concise and clear manner without talking down. Especially useful were the "Views from the Bench" and glossary of legal and financial terms. Smith has obviously done her homework, interviewing attorneys, judges and financial advisors across the country. I'd gladly recommend it to anyone who's facing the often confusing and frightening prospect of divorce.
Rating: 
Summary: This is the wrong book!
Review: I got this book on accident after my friend recommended the Nolo book by the same name. I was really not expecting much and this book lived up to my expectations because it kept saying "Go see a lawyer! Go see a lawyer!" Then my friend saw I had the wrong book... Part of the reason I picked up this book was all the good reviews, but then I see that many of them come from Philadelphia, where this book's author is from. Coincidence? Probably not because all their comments don't seem to match the contents. Do yourself a favor and get the Nolo book, it's really much better.
Rating:
Summary: Knowledge worth a lot
Review: If you are thinking about, or going through a divorce, the book "Divorce and Money, Everything You Need to Know" is one that I highly recommend, from my perspective of having been through a complex divorce myself and witnessing those of friends with varying circumstances. Whether you are looking for answers to your questions, or for what questions you should be asking about the financial aspects of your divorce settlement, it is most likely covered in this book. Sorting out marital finances and identifying all assets, sometimes hidden or overlooked, can be a complex and confusing process. This is a subject about which anyone going through a divorce would be wise to be as fully informed as possible, whether using an attorney or not. Those in the pre-divorce stage will find this information particularly helpful as well, not the least of which is knowing what records will be needed, often more easily obtained and documented before separating. The material presented is practical, comprehensive, clearly organized, and made relevant with some real-life anecdotes. There are helpful charts and asset forms, as well as a list of additional website resources. If you want to gauge the author's competence and integrity for yourself, you can watch a videoclip online from her appearance on "The Early Show" (CBS) on 1/28/04.
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Summary: Helped me to organize my thoughts during a rough time....
Review: Like most people going through a painful separation and divorce, I was often overwhelmed, thinking "where do I begin?" I wanted to make sure I made sound decisions that I wouldn't regret later and that I did the best for my kids. This book helped me to get on track; I was able to step back and see the big picture, understand the process better, make lists and prioritize, take action on the important stuff, and it helped me to sort out what could wait until later or wouldn't matter. The author's conversational tone made me feel as if I was being counseled by a wise, old friend, which was incredibly comforting during the toughest time of my life!
Rating: 
Summary: What About Men, and Couples!?
Review: No doubt, this book contains good, up-to-date information. But like the vast majority of books on this subject, it is written for women. While it's true that wives are, on the average, less knowledgeable about family finances than their husbands, that situation is rapidly changing--as is the movement from adversarial divorce to collaborative divorce.For a book that presents both husbands' and wives' perspectives equally on the emotional, legal, and especially financial perspectives on divorce, consider the brand-new "The Complete Guide to Protecting Your Financial Security When Getting a Divorce" (McGraw-Hill). It's a book, written by a male personal-finance writer and a female CPA and CFP, that's equally useful for both men and women, either separately, or as a common source to work together towards a truly equitable settlement.
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Summary: IN YOUR HOUR OF NEED
Review: Recently, I purchased Gayle Rosenwald Smith's DIVORCE AND MONEY, Everything You Need To Know, as I am starting divorce proceedings for the second time. I cannot recomend this book highly enough. I was confused as to why this informative, excellent book has recieved such negative comments by some of Amazon's reviewers. There is another book with the same title--but with a different sub-title, that was refered to as preferable; even though I found that Nolo Press book (which I examined) to be less informative, more difficult to comprehend and more expensive; $14.95 v. $34.99.
Everything You Need To Know, certainly lives up to its promise; helping the reader understand the process--using easy to read charts to compliment the user friendly style; including all of the financial information an individual could possibly need. A bit of reading, including questions to ask your attorney (which it helps the reader to find); will help to defer costs that inevitably will arise.
Much the same as Gayle Rosenwald Smith's previous book--WHAT EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW ABOUT DIVORCE AND CUSTODY, her new book will help guide the reader through a very difficult and emotional time--at a price that will not add to a stressful endevor.
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Summary: Lawyers love it, your wallet won't
Review: There's two books with this same title, and I bought both when it came time to do the deed. The first book, published by Nolo, assumes you want to avoid lawyers and handle most of the work yourself. It shows you how to look at the big picture, to separate the financial picture from the emotional. It's packed with legal and practical advice throughout. My copy became worn out, I referred to it so much over the ensuing months of my divorce. The other (this one) seems to copy the original book above, but continually encourages you to go to attorneys -- where you'll spend loads of money for no good reason. No wonder most of the positive reviews of this book are written by lawyers!
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