Divorce Settlement Offer Strategy: A Step-by-Step Guide Using Valuation Mediation Template Spreadsheets
Going through a divorce is already overwhelming. Add in businesses, real estate, retirement accounts, and support payments—and it gets financially complicated fast. That’s where valuation mediation comes in.
Hi, I’m Melissa Gragg, financial mediator and business valuation expert at ValuationMediation.com. I help couples and their mediators walk through the financial disclosure and create a clear, organized settlement offer that can save time, money, and stress.
In this divorce settlement offer video, I’ll walk you through how we use a property statement and our proprietary spreadsheet to build a preliminary divorce settlement offer that works—whether you're representing yourself, working with a mediator, or preparing for court.
What Is a Property Statement?
A property statement is the foundation of your financial disclosure. It lists all assets, debts, and potential income or support. It becomes a financial roadmap for your divorce and helps both parties get on the same page.
You can work with:
A neutral financial mediator (like myself),
Your own attorney,
Or a mediator using our Divorce Allies training and spreadsheet system.
What Do We Analyze in a Property Statement?
We start by collecting documentation for each financial item:
Bank and investment accounts
Retirement and pension plans
Vehicles, real estate, and businesses
Life insurance, annuities, and tax returns
Debts, credit cards, and personal loans
All of this is uploaded to a secure portal—no need for constant emailing or paper chasing.
How We Use the Spreadsheet in Mediation
Once documents are uploaded:
We enter each asset and liability with real numbers—not guesses.
We verify with bank statements, appraisals, and tax returns.
We model various settlement scenarios, showing how a house buyout, maintenance payment, or asset transfer could work.
We calculate after-tax cash flow for both parties, and compare options.
We flag major issues, like business valuation, pensions, or hidden assets.
This helps us find a rational, documented agreement on each item—instead of haggling over the big number at the bottom.
What If There’s a Business Involved?
Businesses are often the most valuable—and most contested—asset in divorce.
We never rely on a spouse’s word about the business’s worth. We conduct:
Preliminary business valuations
Cash flow analysis
Risk and ownership assessments
Personal vs enterprise goodwill evaluations
And we present the findings neutrally—so both parties can work from the same data.
Common Issues We Help Navigate:
Uneven asset splits or support “offsets”
House buyouts and refinance timelines
Retirement and Roth IRA tax implications
Property equalization payments
Valuation disagreements
Marital waste or missing account funds
Example: Buckets, Not Slices
Instead of splitting every asset 50/50, we group them into “buckets.” One spouse might keep the house and car. The other may keep the retirement and pay a cash offset. We model each combination until both sides see the tradeoffs clearly.
What Happens Next?
Once the spreadsheet is filled out and discussed:
We hold a second meeting to review outcomes.
We can produce a one-page summary or 30-minute recorded walk-through of the settlement proposal.
If needed, we finalize this into a report for attorneys, mediators, or the court.
You now have a defensible offer, backed by verified data—not just a guess.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Do I need a lawyer to use this process?
No—but many people use this spreadsheet to work with a mediator, then bring in an attorney later. We support DIY, limited scope, or full legal representation paths.
Q: Can this be used before we file?
Absolutely. In fact, pre-filing is ideal. It gives you clarity and leverage in mediation or court.
Q: What if my spouse refuses to provide documents?
This can be flagged as a disclosure issue, and the spreadsheet helps document what’s missing for further legal action.
Want to Start?
You can:
💬 Book a 90-minute financial mediation session - $500
📥 Download the template spreadsheets and get started today for $500
🧑⚖️ Invite your mediator to train with our system
🎥 Watch our video walkthrough to see how we work in real time
Your divorce doesn’t have to be a battle. The power is in the paperwork, disclosures & settlement offer —and we’re here to help you use it.
