A recent, blunt, excellent article in the Washington Post describes the impact of unemployment, underemployment and falling home values on divorcing couples: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/21/AR2010032103139.html. In mediation, couples can tackle some of the all-too-common issues outlined in the article–perhaps creating an interim agreement until the home sells; or an understanding of how they can live under one roof, paying bills and raising kids while structuring a divorce. Not to mention, the cost of mediating is dramatically less than fighting it out.