Divorce Diaries: Lessons From the Trenches
Welcome to Divorce Diaries, where host Cary Jacobson, attorney and mediator brings you real stories, hard truths, and practical advice on navigating divorce and family law. Whether you're going through it, considering it, or just curious, this is your place for clarity, confidence, and resilience.
Divorce Diaries: Lessons From the Trenches
EP #20: Navigating Home Ownership During Divorce with Guest Bridget McGee, the Maryland Mortgage Mama
The home you shared is often the most emotionally and financially complex asset to handle during divorce. With today's rising interest rates, many couples face agonizing decisions about what to do with property they purchased at historically low rates.
Bridget McGee, known as the Maryland Mortgage Mama, brings 24 years of mortgage expertise and specialized divorce lending certification to help you navigate these challenging waters. She reveals why consulting with a mortgage professional at the very beginning of your divorce process can save you thousands and prevent years of frustration.
Whether you're considering divorce, currently navigating one, or helping someone who is, this episode provides essential knowledge to protect your housing stability during this vulnerable transition. Don't make decisions about your home without understanding the mortgage implications that could affect you for years to come.
Contact The Maryland Mortgage Mama: www.swbcmortgage.com/bridget-mcgee
Visit jacobsonfamilylaw.com to learn more.
Visit jacobsonworkshop.com to learn more.
so there were people that were going through, you know, this kind of train wreck that that so many are dealing with, no matter whose decision it is, and then now they have to go from, maybe you know, the home that they've been in with their, with their kids and their family, and the life that they expected, and now, all of a sudden they have to rent a you know a room in somebody's basement because they can't move forward. So you know, my goal is really to help people to run the numbers, to figure out what's going to make sense.
Intro/Close:Welcome to Divorce Diaries, where Cary Jacobson brings you real stories, hard truths and practical advice on navigating divorce and family law. Whether you're going through it, considering it or just curious, this is your place for clarity, confidence and resilience.
Cary Jacobson:Welcome back to Divorce Diaries Lessons from the Trenches, the podcast that brings real stories, expert advice and practical tips for navigating divorce with clarity, strength and as little drama as possible. I'm your host, Cary Jacobson, and today we're talking about something that can feel overwhelming, especially for those going through a divorce mortgages and home ownership. Whether you're looking to buy a new home, refinance your existing mortgage or just figuring out what your options are post-divorce, today's guest is going to clear those things up. Joining me today is Bridget McGee, also known as the Maryland Mortgage Mama. Bridget brings more than 24 years of experience in the mortgage industry and she's helped countless families navigate the world of home loans. She's not only an expert in first-time home buying and refinancing, but also specializes in divorce lending, making sure you find the right loan for your unique needs during what can be such a challenging time. Bridget is also a dedicated educator, teaching homeowner workshops and stress relief tools. She's deeply involved in local and international communities. Bridget, thank you so much for joining me today.
Bridget McGee, :Thanks for having me. I'm excited.
Cary Jacobson:So can you tell our listeners a little bit about how your story started and what led you to how your story started and what led you to joining the mortgage industry?
Bridget McGee, :So actually, kind of it's a bit of a family business. It wasn't meant to be my way back in 2000,. Well, I did outside sales for many, many years and the three of my siblings were all in the mortgage business. My brother had a company and my sister worked as his processor. My other brother worked for him when he came home from Florida, so we had you know, but I kind of kept doing my own thing. Kind of kept doing my own thing. And then 9-11 happened and I was selling industrial equipment at the time, you know, street sweepers and such, you know, because that's what you do.
Bridget McGee, :And I, you know, a lot of the capital expenditures started to go away and that kind of thing. And my sister was working at that time as a mortgage processor, with her as with her own company, and she said, well, I really need some help, because that time there was a big refi boom happening and she taught me line by line and disclosure by disclosure how to work as a mortgage processor. And then I had a baby and was lucky enough, blessed enough, to be able to bring her to work with me. And as she got bigger, the business partner said that a lot, of, a lot of paperwork in here for a nine month old to get into. And my brother, who had his own company at the time, said come work with me. So I was able to take her to work with him and we've been working together. Now my daughter is almost 20. So for a long, long time we've been working together and it's been really good. We both have different strengths he's an engineer by education, I'm human resources by education and consumer economics. So it really fit.
Cary Jacobson:Right, well, that's. I always love to hear those stories where it's not intentional but it just works.
Bridget McGee, :Yeah, I didn't grow up saying, hey, I want to do mortgages. I was going to be a teacher or a nurse and you know the you know kind of the typical little girl thing in my era anyway, typical little girl thing in my era anyway. And you know, just to be able to, to be able to do those things and help people through what can be a really challenging time like divorce, and also be able to act as an educator, I kind of ended up combining both my loves, so it worked out.
Cary Jacobson:Absolutely Just, and I think I've talked with you about this, but I also had a small stint of being a mortgage processor during the refinance boom. Um and yes, it was at the height, you know, 20, 2004 or what have you, and it was a whole different world. Um, and then I got into some commercial real estate for a little bit and then decided, yeah, it's time to go back to law school. So I understand.
Bridget McGee, :Yep absolutely.
Cary Jacobson:Okay, so I alluded to it in the opening, but you're known as the Maryland mortgage model. What makes your approach different from others in the industry?
Bridget McGee, :So I think that most of it is really just how I approach things. My goal is not to just churn through mortgages, just do the paperwork and move on. My goal is really to help people through and to make the best decisions. One of my realtors, years ago, had gone to a convention and came back with something that said realtor goddess or something, a pin, and, and you know it was. So I went on the same website and I looked and I found loan goddess, which I never really identified with, and there was a mortgage mama pin and this was gosh, probably 2006. This was gosh, probably 2006. And I would meet with a realtor and or with a group of realtors and one of them would say, hey, have you met the mortgage mama? Have you met the mortgage mama? I'm like there is something to this and I just really adopted it and kind of embraced it and it's memorable. It's easy to find me online and you know it's just it's it's really about, you know, mortgages are not just about sticks and bricks, it's not just about the cash, it's.
Bridget McGee, :You know these are real families that are going through amazing things and challenging things and if you don't come at it with a sense of compassion, with a sense of caring, then you know it all comes down to just you know who's got the lowest rate. So I just really try to make sure that I am taking the best care of my clients. I'm working right now with the fourth family member of clients that I worked with about 10 years ago. So you know it has worked to just be who I am at heart and and do the job that most of the time I love.
Cary Jacobson:So when we've got those clients who are going through a divorce and constantly the house is the one of the biggest concerns, right, and obviously in this environment where interest rates are still high, it's challenging because you know most of our clients are locked into those really low rates. What are you doing with your clients and helping them through that process?
Bridget McGee, :So I I became a certified divorce lending professional, um, a couple of years ago because we were seeing so many people that couldn't get through the mortgage process because of the way that their their divorce decrees were written. Um, their separation agreements were just, they just didn't have the information that they needed to be able to allow us to get through underwriting and be able to help people to move forward and buy the home train wreck that so many are dealing with, no matter whose decision it is. And then now they have to go from, maybe you know, the home that they've been in with their kids and their family and the life that they expected, and now, all of a sudden, they have to rent, you know, a room in somebody's basement because they can't move forward. So you know, my goal is really to help people to to run the numbers, to figure out what's going to make sense. You know when it when it's it's hard to let go of that.
Bridget McGee, :Those 3% rates, you know. But I think you know most people you know when, when they're working through this, they they need to make that clean break and even though sometimes those decisions are hard, sometimes you've got to let go and kind of look at those 3% rates, almost as a gift and a time that they had at that point, and then maybe also help them to work that into their negotiation with their spouse, especially if the spouse was the one who chose to leave that. They now have another talking point to say hey look, my mortgage is going to go up because you made this decision and I may or may not be able to handle that payment based on the way we've set up our life. So how do we get through that?
Cary Jacobson:Yeah, Are there specific steps people should take when they're having this conversation? Like when would you recommend someone who is facing divorce come talk to you about the possibility of being qualified for either a refinance or purchasing something else?
Bridget McGee, :So I think it really needs to be at the beginning of the process and because a lot of times we have to determine how they're setting up their spousal payments, how they're going to set up their mortgage payments, how they're going to what child support is going to look like, that kind of thing, and we need to know are you going to be able to afford to keep this house?
Bridget McGee, :Because if you fight to keep the house because it's important to you whether it's the status, whether it's the memories, whether it's the memories, whether it's the, you know, whatever, whatever the reason is that you want to keep that house, whether it's for a short period of time or for forever, you've got to know can you, can you afford it? Because you're not only paying the principal, the interest, the taxes, the insurance, the condo dues or HOA dues. There's also upkeep, there's also maintenance, there's also, you know, other things that you have to consider that you really want to take a look at, to determine what are my next steps and is this even realistic? Do I, do I, should I fight for the house? Because if I fight for it and then I can't afford it, I've now wasted not only all of that time but potentially all that money. You know, kind of fighting over something that is not going to work in your best interest in the future.
Cary Jacobson:Yeah, absolutely so sooner the better, so you know whether or not it's even something that's feasible.
Bridget McGee, :Right.
Cary Jacobson:Okay.
Bridget McGee, :Yeah, and, and really I mean, if possible, if both parties can can get pre-qualified. You know you're not tied in by getting pre-qualified, but at least you know what you don't know through divorce is there's so many unknowns and there's so many people in their ears talking about oh well, I had this happen and this worked for me. And, um, and you know my attorney is a bulldog and they're really going to make this him pay or her pay or whatever it is. And you know they just need the information a lot of times and it, you know it's, it's trying to figure out where's the money, where's the you know what are, what are the real costs associated, and how do we, how do we figure that out? So you know that's.
Bridget McGee, :I think the sooner the better, definitely makes sense and really just trying to to to be able to help people through that part, because you know it caught, if you, if you're working with an attorney, um, who is not necessarily a collaborative like you, or you know they they've gone to that bulldog. Well, that bulldog is not somebody who you want to take the time to cry over the losing the house or or losing what you thought your life was going to be, because they're charging you for every tear. So you know, just having that additional information, having those numbers in front of you so you can really kind of have something concrete, makes sense.
Cary Jacobson:Yeah, so you mentioned earlier, when you were kind of talking about your journey, about some of the horror stories you've seen with these agreements that prevent people from being able to purchase a new home or refinance. Can you share a little bit more about those scenarios and how those could potentially be addressed or overcome?
Bridget McGee, :Yeah, so I've seen many, many poorly written divorce decrees and they're not poorly written in the big picture but when we're trying to do things like refinance or cash out or, you know, do an equity buyout, some of those the wording that is in those decrees really can cause way more problems and have folks have to go back into court or go back to negotiations when they thought they were done that part of it because there's so many unknowns and again, people don't know what they don't know. Yeah, working with professionals is so important Folks that really do care, that really want to not just stick it to the other party and charge you as much as they can for as long as they can, but people who are really trying to help you to work through things, so that you know it's never a win-win Right, because everybody kind of loses in the midst of divorce. I'm married to a divorced man and have been for almost 34 years and 34 years later there's still challenges that come up because of what he went through when his. Well, it doesn't matter, I'm not going to tell his information, but things that he went through can still affect you, even many, many, many years later. So just really going through again. Going through those numbers and making sure that things are spelled out in the decree is really, really important.
Bridget McGee, :I just had one recently that it said that the husband was to buy out the wife Right, that was pretty much the whole sentence. They went to a mediator. The mediator's job is to make sure all parties agree and signs it off. I'm sure you have way more information on mediators than I do, but unfortunately the mediator that they went to didn't say hey, you might want to get an end date on this. So you know he went and gave her the money. That was what she was owed, and now she's still waiting for him to do something with the house. And we're now at a year and a half later. She wants to be off that mortgage, she wants to be off that house, she and, and so those things that those things that become challenges as you move forward are real can really cause challenges in underwriting, can really cause challenges moving forward. Another one that that we had was the way that the equity buyout was calculated. The appraisal came in significantly lower than the number that they had used from Zillow or Redfin or one of the aggregators who, in their disclaimers, say that they can be off 20% either way and unfortunately for them, their house was worth a lot less. But the way the decree was written, he was getting the split of, you know, of that higher number Right and she didn't have the split of the higher number because she couldn't mortgage based on that amount, because it wasn't the, it wasn't the amount of the, of the actual appraised value of that property that a lender can use, right. So that can be a challenge.
Bridget McGee, :The child support is another thing that comes up and sometimes folks will pay the mortgage in lieu of child support. Well, it's about the same, so I'll just go ahead and pay the mortgage. Well, when you pay child support as a lender, I can count that as income, as long as it's consistent and it's received consistently. When you pay the mortgage, that's no longer child support, even if it's the exact same number. So now I can't count that as child support because that spouse did not receive that money. So there's a lot of those kinds of things.
Bridget McGee, :What happens after if you've got several kids? And let's say you've got two kids and one of them ages out? The other one maybe, is much younger. So maybe you've got a 10 year old and a 17 year old. Well, we can't count the child support unless it's continuing for at least three years. So if that's not written out specifically once as to what happens when that 17 year old ages out of child support, the underwriter is going to assume that that amount gets cut in half. The likelihood that it's getting cut in half is probably slim, but it's the only thing that they can go by.
Cary Jacobson:Interesting because we normally wouldn't calculate child support until the time that that next child ages or that 17-year-old ages out Right.
Bridget McGee, :So it may make sense to you know, get an estimate that says you know, once this child, then the minimum that this parent would get would be this amount of money. So that it's more specific, out of the divorce decree. And unfortunately, the way that they calculated the equity in the home said that they were to that. One paragraph said to that they were to get an appraisal to get the value of the home. The next paragraph said the final value of the home would be the amount of the mortgage divided by two. Right? So he paid the mortgage down to $5,000 and tried to hand her a check for $2,500 on a home that was worth significantly more than that. So not only did they have to go back to court, but they also are working through malpractice insurance for the attorney who missed that, those couple of words that would have made a huge difference and that's you know. And it wasn't. It wasn't done on purpose, it wasn't done out of malice. It was maybe by the husband, but it certainly wasn't done on purpose by the attorney. They, you know, they went through the decree but and were very upset about the fact that that had gotten past them. But you know, unfortunately the attorney and the attorney is no, the husband's attorney is no longer working with him. So now they're going back through and everything else gets delayed again.
Bridget McGee, :So yeah, I mean there's definitely things that can challenge underwriting. You know, as another example, I had clients that very amicable split. They were still very good friends. They, you know, still had, they have kids together and they have all of their in-laws that they had kind of grown up with. So everybody is still very friendly. Well, it got to a point where the money that was to be paid out to them, to the spouse to buy out the house, the equity for the house they it was being transferred from retirement funds, so it was from his retirement to her retirement to be able to equalize the, the payment of what needed to be done. Well, all of a sudden, right as we're getting ready to go to closing, he's very upset and non-communicative and just very frustrated with the fact that if he has to take money out of his retirement then he's going to pay an early withdrawal penalty.
Cary Jacobson:Yeah.
Bridget McGee, :So we were able to renegotiate so that some of the money came as an equity buyout, some of it came as a as a quadro or qualified domestic order. Thank you, I always get, I always like mix up the letters and it doesn't work. So, qualified domestic relations order, so. So when they're transferring it, there's no tax consequence because it's retirement to retirement. But you know so.
Bridget McGee, :So, and it turned out that, you know, when she called me and she was so upset I don't know why he's being such a jerk I said, well, did you ask him? Silly question, right? It sounds like that would make sense. Well, she just got very frustrated and she said well, no, I don't know why he's doing this. And I said, ok, well, maybe you could just check with him and find out. This has been amicable all the way through. Maybe there's a reason. And he had he needed to pay back a relative who had, who he had borrowed money from, and so he needed the cash to be able to do that, and the quadro wasn't going to work in that situation. So we were able to readjust it and he went and find the quick claim immediately. So, you know, it's sometimes it's sometimes it's really helping, kind of to be the I'm not an official mediator, so you know but working on both sides to try to help folks through this challenging time and, you know, kind of facilitating that communication.
Cary Jacobson:And there is such a need for that, because we don't necessarily know what's happening, and if it is amicable, then let's try to keep it that way, right, which is?
Bridget McGee, :why I appreciate what you guys do so much by really trying. You know, as your entire business is built on doing that and you know I mean it it really cause it's hard, as as just a human being, to hear the horror stories, the fights that are that are taking place with folks who at one time loved each other.
Cary Jacobson:Yeah.
Bridget McGee, :It's yeah so. So thank you for for what you do as a company.
Cary Jacobson:Well, thank you very much. But it does kind of go back to your point that even though when we're working with a couple that may be amicable at the time of the agreement, we do want to put in those safety blocks in the agreement so that it doesn't become an issue later. Or that if communication breaks down with them for some reason in the future, that they do have something that they can enforce or go back to you know to address if they need to. We hope it never comes to that.
Bridget McGee, :Right, they need to.
Cary Jacobson:we hope it never comes to that right, but we want that in there so that it prevents them from having those issues in the future, because it's going to be more expensive if it's vague you know, just saying that someone's going to buy out the other person without putting any sort of guard rails on. That just leaves it so open-ended and makes it really challenging because there's no like recourse for that Right.
Bridget McGee, :And you know, and I mean it, can it? I? I am not an attorney, I don't play one on TV, I don't want to be an attorney. I did not go into the mortgage business so I could go back to law school. So you know my advice to folks. The information that I provide is please take this information back to your divorce party. You know, you're the, the folks that you are, um, that you are working with, because they are the tax professional, they're the attorney, they're the you know whatever what the financial advisor a lot of times, um, who, whatever what the financial advisor a lot of times, who? Who. Take it back to them so that they can then help you to mitigate what could potentially be an issue. And that's that's always. Our goal is really to make it as smooth as possible. Give the folks the information that they need so that they can make the best decision and get the best advice from the people that they're working with.
Cary Jacobson:Right, and I know that you mentioned earlier that coming to you to begin with is ideal to get the information, but I know that we've worked together in the past that sometimes what can be really helpful for all of those professionals that may be listening out there is putting in the draft language and then running it by you and making sure that this is going to pass muster for the lending professional for underwriting, before it gets so far that it can't be undone.
Bridget McGee, :Absolutely. Yeah, I, you know I mean we as a certified divorce lending professional, you know I go through. I went through training. There is training available all the time. There's lots of different ongoing training and then every year I have to, I have to go through continuing education to keep that CDLP active and alive. And you know I mean this is it's not an inexpensive certification to get, it's not an it's not an inexpensive certification to keep, but it's so important and has helped so many clients to avoid those challenges.
Cary Jacobson:Yeah, all right. So we know that you work with many first-time homebuyers. For someone who may be starting fresh after divorce, you know, maybe they never owned a home or they're buying something on their own for the first time, what advice would you give them for qualifying for a mortgage on their own?
Bridget McGee, :Well, I mean, one of the biggest challenges that we see is credit. So really monitoring your credit, making sure that if there are joint accounts, that you're not just closing them willy nilly, because that can affect not only your the the amount of credit that you have, but the mix of credit that you have. So so, really talking through your particular situation with the lender and you know, give us all the dirt. You know we don't need to hear your whole story, we don't need to hear what he said or she said or whatever, but we do need to know what are some of the challenges that you're facing, you know, if there is so, because we can a lot of times take that information and be able to tell the story to the underwriter, Right.
Bridget McGee, :But you know, we've seen where you know, folks go through a divorce. Well, you know, maybe the one spouse has just become self-employed and that now changes anything that they can qualify for for a couple of years. Yeah, so that may mean you have to have a co-signer. So do you have somebody in your life who would be willing to take over that mortgage? We actually had a father-in-law co-sign with the daughter-in-law because, you know, she was newly licensed in a helping profession that was not going to make her a ton of money, and she had all of his grandkids Right, so you know, and they loved this girl.
Cary Jacobson:Yeah.
Bridget McGee, :There was, and it was heartbreaking for them when, when it didn't work, yeah, so he, he actually stepped in, um, which is is just such a beautiful thing, um, you know, because they didn't have ill will towards her and they wanted to protect their grandchildren in the midst of all of this and do what was right by them, and so there's so many ways that we can get through things. So credit is definitely one making sure that the income that you have is paid properly, things like the spousal support and child support. Again, one of the issues that we've seen is spouse A takes money from their account and puts it in a joint account. Spouse B takes the money out of the joint account and and does and does whatever they do with it. Well, now, all of a sudden, that money is not considered income because you can't pay yourself. So the money has to go from an account that they have full control over to an account that the other one has full control over. So you know it's making. Again, it's making sure that we're able to meet the guidelines, to figure out what the best way for you to be able to move forward is going to be and how quickly you're going to be able to move forward. You know, because sometimes there is. You know we've got to be able to see spousal support or child support for a certain period of time, depending on what type of loan that you're getting If you're at retirement age. We're seeing a lot more.
Bridget McGee, :I think you had done a podcast on gray divorce and you know, just having you know, you've got folks that are at retirement age. Well, now you know, if they're, they're getting a big lump sum of money out of the house. What do you do with that? Because now I'm not showing income, I just have this big pot of money, right? So how do we, how do we write that in the decree so it actually is usable income? How do we, how do we work with the financial advisor to create income out of assets that they have? You know so.
Bridget McGee, :So there's. It's really again, it's just having that initial conversation with a somebody, especially who is a divorce professional, because that you know there are, there are things that that lenders will do, not again, not out of malice, but because they don't know what the rules are and they assume that it that an equity buyout is the same as a straight refinance or it's the same as a cash out refi? It's not. It's treated differently and we want to make sure that if it can be treated in a way that is most beneficial to the client, we want to be able to do that.
Cary Jacobson:Absolutely, and I think those little nuances are so important because it's not necessarily even something that would be in the decree right or in the agreement, that how someone's going to pay alimony or how they're going to pay child support.
Bridget McGee, :Right.
Cary Jacobson:Talking to someone like you to understand what the logistics need to be so that it passes underwriting Right.
Bridget McGee, :Absolutely, it's really important. Yep Right.
Cary Jacobson:Absolutely, it's really important. Yep, can you share one success story that stands out to you where you were able to help someone really turn things around? You just kind of shared one with regards to the father-in-law, but is there anything else that kind of stands out to you as a success story that you would like to share?
Bridget McGee, :Yeah, I think you know. I mean I've mentioned a couple of them with you know, being able to read the decrees and avoid some things or being able to help to facilitate communication when it's broken down, you know those are important. What I love is when I can. You know, a lot of times, unfortunately, you know, I have past clients that I helped them buy a home together and now they're divorcing. So you know, but because they know me, like me and trust me, I'm still able to work with both spouses to be able to help them to their best path. And you know I'm not, I'm not taking sides, um, you know we've we've definitely had a couple that I'm like, ooh, didn't expect that one. Um, you know, definitely, with some challenges and things that you didn't expect, um, and you know, sometimes it can be hard when you, when you hear the story of what he or she did and what caused the breakdown in their marriage. You know I try to keep as neutral as possible but again, I'm a human being and you know some sometimes those things are like, oh, I don't know that I really want to work with that person from certain loans because of that. But it really is just about working with the spouses to the best outcome for both of them, you know, and again, being able to talk somebody through you know, the one that I talked about that the spouse had.
Bridget McGee, :The wording was incorrect in the, in the um, in the decree, um, she had called me and said you know, something's weird this is. You know, use your intuition. If something feels weird, get in, get advice, get information from the divorce professionals so important. Because he said, oh, we're just going to meet at a UPS and I'm going to give you the money. And I was like Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait, that's not how this works and you please don't sign anything.
Bridget McGee, :So even she actually didn't end up using me, um, she ended up paying cash for the next house and didn't even use me for the mortgage Because, you know, obviously, she, you know cash is king. That's a good thing. But I know she's actually already referred me several people because they are, because she knows that I'm looking out for their best interest and you know, so I was able to. I mean, she could have just taken that money and just was like, oh, I guess I screwed up, right, but because she had called me to to ask this question about how, what? How's this normally work? I was able to. I was able to help to to make sure that she didn't make what could have been a huge mistake.
Cary Jacobson:Yeah, you sounds like you saved her a lot of money in the long run. Sounds like you saved her a lot of money in the long run. Yeah absolutely Well. Thank you so much, bridget, for being here and sharing your wisdom and all of the practical advice you have given us today. I know so many of our listeners feel empowered after hearing you and know at least that they should reach out to a lending professional when it comes time for them to refinance or buy out their spouse or even purchase a new home.
Bridget McGee, :Yep, and you don't have to be divorcing to work with me. We do it all.
Cary Jacobson:For those who want to connect with Bridget or learn more about the work that she does as the Maryland Mortgage Mama, check out our show notes for details for her contact information and, as always, thank you for tuning in to divorce diaries lessons from the trenches. Don't forget to subscribe and leave us a review, and share this episode with anyone who might need a little extra help.
Bridget McGee, :Thanks.
Intro/Close:Cary, thanks for joining us today on this episode of divorce diaries. Remember every journey is unique, but you don't have to navigate it alone. Visit jacobsonfamilylawcom or call 443-726-4912 for support and guidance.