For anyone that watches reality TV or reads celebrity headlines, you have likely heard of pre- and post-nuptial agreements. Though, you may have a negative view of them as they are rarely shown in a positive light. As a result, you may not even know what pre- and...
What if I cannot wait to divorce an abusive spouse?
Like other states, California has what is called a residency requirement for people who want a divorce. In order to obtain a divorce in California, one or both of the spouses must have lived in the state for at least six months. They also must have lived in Riverside...
Do I need to pay debts my ex accrued after the separation?
In California divorces, people are often at odds over property division. A common point of contention is debt accrued after the separation. In some divorces, this happened as an intentional attempt to make life difficult for the other person. In others, it was...
When should someone choose a married-filing-separately tax status?
For better or worse, laws from real estate and contracts to debts and property division treat married couples as one. The area of tax law, however, permits married couples to exist financially independent of each other. Under certain circumstances, the tax-filing...
Will threatening divorce stop abuse?
When someone is in an abusive relationship, they just want it to stop. But, when there is still love, the abuse victim may not actually want to leave, which may lead them to threaten divorce in the hopes that it will shock the abuser back to normality. Unfortunately,...
Reimbursement for out-of-pocket child support expenses
If you and your ex have children, the court likely entered an order detailing the terms of your child support arrangement. In most cases, both parents are ordered to contribute to expenses relating to the children including healthcare costs not covered by insurance...
Updating estate planning documents in a divorce
Couples who divorce have stressful decisions on meeting their financial needs and still provide for their children’s. Divorcing couples are often more worried about how to fulfill immediate financial obligations than they are about preserving their estate-planning...
Property division: what is a Moore/Marsden calculation?
Considering the potentially complex issues that must be dealt with during a divorce, it’s natural to have questions. One term you may hear, but not understand, is the Moore/Marsden calculation. Moore/Marsden explained Since California is a community property state,...
Date of separation: why does it matter and how is it determined?
You’ve decided it’s time to divorce. Maybe you’ve communicated that fact to your spouse and maybe you haven’t. Perhaps one of you has already moved out—perhaps you’re still living together. When the divorce is final, your marriage will be legally ended, but at what...
Post-separation debt: What is an Epstein Credit?
When going through a divorce, it’s easy to become fixated on the final result. But the reality is that a lot can happen between the date of separation and the date the divorce decree is issued. Debt doesn’t go away – it remains during the divorce process and must be...
