For the most part, if you have a well-drafted separation agreement or even a very basic court order, you should be clear on what, exactly, needs to happen to wrap everything up with a nice little bow on top once your divorce is finalized. Sometimes, though, that is not the case – whether because of...
What do I have to do after divorce to get what I’m supposed to receive?
No matter how long you were married, the assets you generated in your marriage matter. Not only will you never be younger, but – if you waive too much – you’ll never have the chance to take advantage of compounding interest. That can be the difference between being able to retire and … not. Sure,...
Very few things in the world are truly ‘one size fits all,’ even though it can sometimes feel that way. There is more than one solution to a problem and the same is true for spousal support. Though many women – and it’s not always women, but, hey, that’s my audience – receive a certain...
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...
For a long time, I thought the ten year myth – the idea that you had to be married for ten years to be entitled to a portion of the military retirement – was limited to military divorces only. Please note, of course, that I called it a MYTH. I didn’t realize that many civilians...
I used to get lots of questions about common law marriage. Lately, well, not so much – until the other day. A woman asked me what, in my opinion, was a very perceptive question about whether marriage is designed to be a safeguard to protect spouses (and, in particular, lesser earning spouses). Most of the...
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...
One of the biggest risk factors for women in divorce is the fact that, statistically speaking, they are the lesser wage earners. This means that, in many cases, many of the most valuable assets are largely controlled by the husband – including, but not limited to, any real estate, retirement accounts, bank accounts, and...