Why Rushing Your High-Asset Divorce is a Multi-Million Dollar Mistake

“I just want out.” “I’m so tired of fighting. Just let them have it.” “Can’t we just sign the papers and be done by Friday?”

We hear this all the time. After months or years of emotional exhaustion, you’ve hit a wall. You are so desperate for peace that you’re willing to sign just about anything to make the pain stop.

Do not do this.

Our Chicago, IL complex divorce lawyer knows that, in a high-asset divorce, your impatience is your spouse’s single greatest financial asset.

Rushing to the finish line is a multi-million dollar mistake, and here’s exactly what you’re giving up when you rush.

1. You’re Skipping The Discovery Phase

You’re essentially telling your lawyer, “Don’t bother looking for the money.” A thorough high-net-worth divorce requires a deep forensic dive into the finances. A rushed divorce relies on a single and flimsy financial statement provided by your spouse.

• Rushing means: You accept their valuation of the family business.
• A non-rushed divorce means: We hire a forensic accountant who finds out they’ve been running personal expenses through the business for a decade, and the company is worth 3x what they claimed.
• Rushing means: You accept their list of bank accounts.
• A non-rushed divorce means: We subpoena records and find the “forgotten” offshore account or the crypto wallet they “don’t remember.”

2. You’re Accepting A Terrible Tax Bill

You can’t value assets without understanding their tax implications. Rushing means you treat all dollars as equal. They are not.

• Rushing means: You say, “Okay, I’ll keep the $1M house (with a $200k cost basis) and you keep the $1M stock portfolio.”
• A non-rushed divorce means: We calculate that when you sell that house, you’ll pay a massive capital gains tax while their stocks have a different basis. The “equal” split just cost you $200,000. We would have structured the deal to account for this tax liability.

3. You’re Making Unfixable Errors

In the rush to sign, people make critical, permanent mistakes.

•  You might agree to a vague parenting plan that’s impossible to enforce.
• You’ll almost certainly mess up the QDRO (the legal order to divide a 401(k) or pension). A mistake in a QDRO can be a catastrophic and irreversible error in family law (if you don’t catch them fast enough)
• You’ll forget to demand that you are kept as the beneficiary on a life insurance policy to secure your alimony, a tiny detail that can cost you everything.

We get it. You’re exhausted, but don’t trade temporary relief for a lifetime of financial regret. Your spouse and their lawyer might be counting on you to be tired, emotional, and in a hurry. Don’t prove them right.

A complex divorce cannot be a fast one. Patience is a financial strategy. Connect with Merel Family Law today, and let’s get it done right.