<div id="attachment_154354" style="width: 750px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img class="wp-image-154354 size-full" src="http://www.moneysense.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/10639623_369539666543862_7461966035712761012_n.jpg" alt="Eleanor McCain Jeff Melanson divorce" width="740" height="740" srcset="http://www.moneysense.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/10639623_369539666543862_7461966035712761012_n-150x150.jpg 150w, http://www.moneysense.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/10639623_369539666543862_7461966035712761012_n-300x300.jpg 300w, http://www.moneysense.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/10639623_369539666543862_7461966035712761012_n-660x660.jpg 660w, http://www.moneysense.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/10639623_369539666543862_7461966035712761012_n-32x32.jpg 32w, http://www.moneysense.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/10639623_369539666543862_7461966035712761012_n-64x64.jpg 64w, http://www.moneysense.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/10639623_369539666543862_7461966035712761012_n-96x96.jpg 96w, http://www.moneysense.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/10639623_369539666543862_7461966035712761012_n-128x128.jpg 128w, http://www.moneysense.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/10639623_369539666543862_7461966035712761012_n.jpg 740w" sizes="(max-width: 740px) 100vw, 740px" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Eleanor McCain (left) and Jeff Melanson in a Facebook photo. (Eleanor McCain/Facebook)</p></div>
<p>Oy vey. Anyone following the entirely acrimonious and all-too-public divorce scandal embroiling french-fry heiress Eleanor McCain and former Toronto Symphony Orchestra CEO Jeff Melanson has been given an all-star lesson in exactly how <em>not</em> to end a marriage. Emotionally and financially.</p>
<p>Between the headline-grabbing accusations of remorseless cruelty, heavy boozing and rage and anger management issues being lobbed back and forth by both parties, the couple&#8217;s sense of personal dignity has taken more of a beating than their shattered union ever will. (It should be noted that none of the allegations submitted by McCain or Melanson have been proven in court.)</p>
<p>No doubt, a massive lawyer&#8217;s bill is being tallied up on both sides of the fractious division, too. <em>Maclean&#8217;s</em> perhaps put it best, calling the high-profile split &#8220;<a href="http://www.macleans.ca/the-heiress-the-impresario-and-the-juiciest-divorce-ever/" >an epic marital meltdown</a>.&#8221;</p>
<p>Sadly, divorce is a reality many couples will face: Recent stats suggest about 71,000 divorces occur in Canada each year, and more than 40% of marriages will end in divorce. (But buck up, Canucks: that percentage is 46% in the U.S. and 55% in Sweden.)</p>
<p>That marital fallout, of course, always has a price-tag attached to it—particularly if couples can&#8217;t part amicably. <a href="http://www.moneysense.ca/columns/super-saver/keep-divorce-out-of-court/"><em>MoneySense</em> recently ran the numbers</a>, and put the cost of an uncontested divorce at a mere $1,000. Once lawyers get involved, though, the price steadily climbs. Recent figures show that the cost of a contested divorce ranges from $6,582 to $86,644, with the average falling at $15,570.</p>
<p>One way to get around some of these costs—and still have a neutral third party help you sort through the emotional and tax and money issues that come up during the process of separation—is to <a href="http://www.moneysense.ca/save/financial-planning/how-to-get-a-better-divorce-settlement/">work with a financial planner that specializes in divorce</a>.</p>
<p>The bottom line? A clean break is always the best way to hold onto more of your self-esteem and your pay cheque.</p>
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<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.moneysense.ca/news/the-absolute-wrong-way-to-do-divorce/">The absolute wrong way to do divorce</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.moneysense.ca/">MoneySense</a>.</p>
