r/fresno • u/Strong_Day1377 • 19h ago
Ask Fresno Divorcing with more debt than assets, is mediation worth paying for in Fresno?
Most divorce discussions seem to be about dividing houses, investments and big retirement accounts. Our problem is almost the opposite. My husband and I are separating after eight years here in Fresno. We rent, have modest retirement savings and two paid-off older cars. But between credit cards, a personal loan and some medical bills, there's roughly $55k in debt.
Some of it was clearly household spending. Some cards are only in one person's name. There are also charges from the last year that we strongly disagree about. We don't have children, so custody isn't an issue.
We're mostly trying to leave the marriage without either person getting stuck with debt they didn't expect. Has anyone here used mediation for a divorce where debt was the main financial issue? Was it cheaper than each hiring a lawyer from the start?