I hate that my marriage has come to the point where I want to meet with a divorce attorney to discuss my options and what things would look like by way of property division and child support and alimony. My appointment is scheduled for next week.

My issue is: how do I pay for the consultation fee when my wife handles all of the money. We share all the money in joint accounts and she updates the checkbook and credit card weekly so she sees where every cent of our money goes. I am not ready yet for her to know about my meeting with a lawyer.

In considering my options to pay, my work will advance me the money and withhold the money out of my end of September check. So my wife won’t know at this time and I have a 30-day float for repayment. Is this a good idea, or is there a better idea for paying the consultation fee that others have done?