In an ideal world, couples who don’t get along would peacefully separate and divorce with a minimum of fuss and little (or no) acrimony. Unfortunately, it’s far from a perfect world -- and even a divorce that starts out reasonably amicable can get ugly as it proceeds....
Year: 2021
Who pays student loan debt after a divorce?
Your spouse has a lot of student loan debt -- more than $100,000 -- and has been in school during your marriage. Perhaps you got married as an undergrad or maybe your spouse graduated and then went back to school after your wedding. Either way, you’ve known about that...
Handling your children’s birthdays after divorce
If you and your co-parent are divorcing, you’ll likely be including holidays in your custody agreement and parenting plan. Kids need to know where they’ll be spending Christmas, Thanksgiving, Fourth of July and other big days. Once children are old enough to...
Managing custody on an on-call schedule
Becoming a medical provider was difficult. You took years of your life to study and focus on your career. Now, you have a beautiful family along with it, but your spouse is no longer happy with your arrangement. They came to you to discuss getting a divorce, and...
When the arguments stop, is divorce a step closer?
Say you’re in a relationship where conflict is common. It seems like you’re always arguing and your partner is always frustrated with you. You often wonder if it means that the two of you are quickly heading toward a divorce. Then those arguments stop. It’s almost an...
4 steps to being financially organized during a high-asset divorce in California
Divorce can be a very simple process unless one is involved in a high-asset divorce. Property division, handling debt, children, alimony, and family-owned businesses call for a higher level of due diligence. When emotions are running high, it is important to be...
Do you have to pay your spouse’s credit cards off in a divorce?
Trying to predict your financial circumstances after a divorce is never easy unless you have a very strong prenuptial agreement with your spouse. There are so many variables that affect the outcome of divorce proceedings that even straightforward community property...
Could you be eligible to receive permanent alimony?
Permanent alimony isn’t as common as it once was. In previous generations, it was typically ordered to be paid by men to their wives who didn’t work outside the house once they got married and therefore would have a difficult time obtaining a job that would support...
What does it mean to be in a community property state?
California is a state that practices community property law. What that means is that all marital assets are assumed to belong equally to both parties upon divorce. Both parties have the right to 50% of the assets shared in the marriage automatically, unless they have...
Custody and military deployment in California: What you should know
Military deployment is stressful enough, but that stress is compounded when a service member is concerned about how their deployment could affect their custody rights. Fortunately, both federal and state laws offer protections for military parents and their rights....