As far as equitable distribution – the legal process where your assets and liabilities are divided during divorce – is concerned, division of the retirement accounts is pretty easy. But, because retirement accounts represent a large portion of what most people have saved throughout their lives, they are also very emotionally complicated. The higher earning...
How retirement accounts are divided in Virginia divorce
There are so many anxiety-provoking things about the divorce process, it’s hard to speak to them all at once. Scratch that; I actually think it is literally impossible to speak to all the things at once. Fears about what will happen to the marital assets are rampant among divorcing women. It probably doesn’t help, either,...
Most of the questions that we get – at least in the early stages of a separation or divorce – is a basic one. “What should I do first?” It’s a good question, too, because I think it’s always smart to go into something knowing what to expect and having at least the outlines of...
Just because you want a divorce doesn’t necessarily mean that you really know what you are entitled to receive – or, even more than that, what it might look like after the ink is dry on your final divorce decree. Hey, that’s okay! You’ve probably never been in this position before and, heck, even if...
If there is a phrase I HATE in family law – along with calling a woman a golddigger – it’s a man referencing being taken to the cleaners. It’s rooted in such, deep, toxic internalized misogyny that it’s hard for me to believe anyone really believes it, but – then again – the world has...
It can be confusing understanding how property is divided in Virginia divorce – or even what, exactly, is divided. In Virginia, there are three classifications for property – hybrid, marital, and separate – and only the marital portions are subject to division. Hybrid is, as its name suggests, part marital and part separate property. ...
I see misinformation everywhere, almost every single day. It seems like, when it comes to legal advice, almost everyone thinks they know all the answers – and they’re comfortable enough to tell other people what they should do, too. The thing is, though, that they’re often wrong. Just today I saw some divorce coach on...
Is it time to separate? That may be a strategic question and not just an emotional one. In Virginia, we classify separate property as anything that was earned, purchased, or acquired before the marriage or after the date of separation. (We also include anything you inherited in your sole name, anything that was a gift...
