The New Rules of Divorce: Twelve Secrets to Protecting Your Wealth, Health, and Happiness

by Jacqueline Newman

“You can waste vast amounts of money by hiring the wrong lawyer while engaging in a high conflict divorce. Newman shows people the playbook and provides real tactics for breaking up in a more humane fashion.” —Alec Baldwin, actor, producer, New York Times bestselling author

“Jacqueline Newman brings the D-word into the light, where everything is always less scary. This book will spare you pain, save you money, and some sanity. It’s like getting a private consult with a top divorce lawyer for less than a bottle of rosé.” —Nora McInerny, author of No Happy Endings

“The divorce process can be overwhelming, but Jacqueline’s practical and wise guide will help readers know what to expect and avoid wasting their time and money. A must-read.” —Sara Stanich, CEO of Cultivating Wealth

The definitive guide to navigating divorce in today’s world from one of America’s top matrimonial lawyers.

Just as the entire landscape of marriage and family has evolved, so too has divorce.

Gay marriage has led to unconventional custody battles. Couples are having children outside of marriage. Women are the breadwinners. There’s an influx of middlemen serving as divorce doulas. And with nearly half of all marriages ending in divorce, the stigma has essentially diminished.

Jacqueline Newman, one of the country’s top divorce lawyers, has seen it all—from a couple fighting over iguana custody to prenuptial agreements featuring cryptocurrency—nothing shocks her. And if she’s learned one thing from all this experience, it’s this: protect yourself and worry about being nice later.

Newman delivers the truth in a calm, therapeutic voice and is on your side both emotionally and in the courtroom. Drawing on more than twenty years of experience handling complex, high-stakes matrimonial cases and citing the latest research, Newman shatters old myths and provides an insider’s toolkit for a humane, economical, and savvy way to end a marriage.

Genres: Divorce, Self Help, Nonfiction

272 pages, Hardcover

Published January 7, 2020

Reviews

[Vovka · Rating 2 out of 5]

Written for women, felt quite a bit more adversarial approach than more modern books, so in that sense, the "new rules" feel like old rules, or at least 90s and aughties rules. Tries to be comprehensive, but leaves out big things, like handling of royalties (for creatives) and handling of options (for tech folks). It's rather incomplete, and likely to lead someone to approach this difficult process with an itchy trigger finger.

[Angel (huge fan of all things Totoro) B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were some good parts, but it mostly pertained to couples that are uber rich getting divorced. And I so am not that. Rich, I mean.

[Jessi Bone · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Jacqueline Newman's book, The Rules of Divorce is without a doubt exactly what she says it is “Think of this book as the What to Expect When You're Expecting – or not expecting -for divorce. I am currently am in my second marriage but this book would have helped me through my first divorce so that I had a better understanding of what I had to face between visitation support conferences and how the judge sees the separation of assets. I was blessed to have a good lawyer which was hugely beneficial. She even points out that this book does not mean you do not need a good lawyer but helps you decide which lawyer is for you and how to go forward knowing what questions will be asked and how to best go forward or even if it is for you. I like how throughout that divorce may not be the answer for you and not to rush into the decision, however, if it is for you then this is how you go forward and what steps to take. I found it insightful and directly written and I found myself laughing and crying in passages and had more than a few Aha moments. I think this book should be the first book you pick up if you are even concentrating on the idea of a divorce and how to go forward is that is what you need to do. I like that there is no judgment and this book is written for men and women. Yes, there are off-colored jokes that could upset some but they were written in a way that I think even men would laugh about because they know men and women similar to the examples in the book.

[JSter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lawyer in a California family law firm here… this is an excellent resource that will answer many of your marriage dissolution-custody-support questions (or at least provide you with good questions to ask your attorney). Good as an overview for anyone headed into this process, but probably most relatable for the woman reader, the NY resident, and someone with assets/high net worth. Not you? I think it’d still be a worthwhile read.

Divorce is expensive as hell, and you’ll want to hire a good attorney to do it right the first time to protect your interests (and kiddos). This book will give you an idea of what you’re in for and help you prepare.

Bonus: the author keeps it real and is fun to hang out with, so it’s an enjoyable read (as enjoyable as this mess can get, anyway).

[Jen Lawrence · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not only is this book packed with sound advice, but the author's tone is chatty and relatable. I highly recommend this book for people contemplating divorce.

[my_bookstories · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ένα βιβλίο που δεν σας εύχομαι να το χρειαστείτε, ωστόσο, τα τελευταία χρόνια τα διαζύγια συνεχώς αυξάνονται. Το βιβλίο περιλαμβάνει 12 μυστικά για να προστατέψετε την περιουσία, την υγεία &την ευτυχία σας, απο την Jacqueline Newman, μια απο τις καλύτερες δικηγόρους διαζυγίων στις ΗΠΑ. Με απλά λόγια &μια δόση χιούμορ μας δίνει συμβουλές σχετικά με την επιλογή του δικηγόρου, την επιμέλεια, την διατροφή &την ψυχική υγεία τόσο του ζευγαριού όσο &των παιδιών. Το διαζύγιο μπορεί να είναι μια δύσκολη διαδικασία, αλλά πολλές φορές είναι προτιμότερο απο έναν κακό γάμο, ειδικά όταν υπάρχουν παιδιά στη μέση.