You signed the settlement agreement but you’re not settled yet. There’s still lots to do! You need to divide accounts, change insurance or beneficiaries, get a new estate plan and for some of you, move out of the house! Many people get hung up at this point, pondering “What will my life be like now?” … Continue reading Financial Life after Divorce – Armageddon or Nirvana
This is a wakeup call to family attorneys and their clients to urge both to consider what is inside brokerage accounts and not just look at account titles and balances. Your attorney may only look at the balance of your brokerage account and your investment company may only report current market values. Without proper financial … Continue reading Today’s Spotlight: Your Brokerage Account Value May Be Less Than You Think
This is an important debate. Parents can either ask or offer to pay for college as part of a divorce settlement. However, in divorce, a commitment to pay for college is a negotiating point, not a legal requirement (as some may think). Should it be? I’m not sure. That’s where there’s room for debate. Here’s my thought. If a married couple … Continue reading In divorce, who should pay for college?
Many a highly trained family law attorney will “tax affect” retirement accounts by using the after tax value of a retirement account on a couple’s inventory of assets. As a divorcing man or woman you need to know that this method of valuation is more of a negotiation tactic then economics. Left unchecked, the spouse receiving more of the … Continue reading How Should Retirement Assets be Valued in Divorce?
Divorcing couples often use their credit cards to pay attorneys and other professionals so these expenses can be tracked and divided at settlement. During divorce, credit cards can get “maxed out” to their limit. Divorcing couples are often concerned about the cost and the impact to their credit scores. They are also concerned about the … Continue reading Credit Cards in Divorce