Clean Break

Fairway Divorce Solutions is the brainchild of Karen Stewart, BSc, MBA, RHU, and R.F.M. As CEO of Milestone Asset Management, she built a top wealth advisory stock-brokerage firm based in Calgary, Alberta. After struggling through a traumatic divorce, a story which is an integral part of this book, Karen began to question the traditional divorce system. She felt that the system had failed her and her three children, by draining her finances, time, energy—and hope for fair outcomes for all. In reflecting on that process, Karen began to imagine what a new divorce paradigm might look like that was grounded in a common-sense approach to save people money, time, and stress, and to protect the children.

It seemed to Karen that there were only two options for divorcing couples: fight it out in court or suffer through a “friendly” divorce which may not be fair—or end up being very friendly either. By putting her extensive background in business and finance to work, as well as what she took away from her own divorce experience, Karen developed The Fairway Process™ for couples, enabling them to make a clean break while protecting their sanity, wealth, and children.

Ultimately Fairway Divorce Solutions was born, launched to the public in 2006. Common sense and strategic steps are the hallmarks of the process. A flat fee is charged, ensuring that there is no reason to allow issues to drag on to no one’s benefit. Couples meet independently with their appointed Fairway Divorce advisor, and once an issue is resolved and agreed upon, the couple moves on to the next issue.

In traditional divorce proceedings, children may be used with or without intention as pawns to further one parent’s financial gain. With The Fairway Process, family matters are discussed only after issues surrounding finances and wealth are resolved. This negates any possibility that children are used as leverage around finances.

Once all issues are discussed and resolved, and a win-win situation is reached, Fairway Divorce Solutions turns the facilitated outcomes over to lawyers to legalize the divorce. The Fairway Process allows both parties to leave the marriage as amicably as possible.