Ensuring your estate planning documents are up to date during or after a divorce is crucial. Understanding its significant impact on your financial and personal affairs and whether adjustments are necessary for your estate planning documents can have a significant...
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Property Division
How to prove your property is separate in divorce
When it comes to property division, California is a community property state. Community property, sometimes referred to as marital property, consists of assets and debts that you and your spouse accumulated during your marriage. California law states that community...
What are my options if your spouse files their taxes separately?
Navigating the complexities of taxes during a marriage in California requires careful consideration of filing options. Couples in the state can choose to file jointly or separately. Each option carries its own sets of advantages and drawbacks, especially if a spouse...
Divorce costs and property division in California
Anyone who is going through a divorce in California knows that there are several serious legal issues that will need to be addressed. These can include property division, first and foremost, but alimony is also another big issue, while for those with minor children...
Can a custodial parent live in and defer sale of a marital home?
Property division in a California divorce is often viewed from the perspective of which person gets to retain what. That could include bank accounts, investments, real estate, automobiles and items of sentimental value among many other things. However, other...
Dividing family heirlooms in a divorce
There are many difficult aspects to divorce, but property division may be particularly likely to spark a dispute. This may be especially true when there are family heirlooms involved. Property division overview California is a community property state, meaning that...
What if my spouse files taxes separately?
Before a California couple decides to divorce, there is usually a separation period. California law does not require you to be separated from your spouse for a certain time before filing for divorce, but there is a six-month waiting period before you can finalize your...
Protecting your retirement accounts in a divorce
Property division is one of the most complicated aspects of most California divorces and is often what results in the most anxiety. Dividing smaller property, such as vehicles or household items, is usually simple enough. But when it comes to larger assets that have...
Property valuation is an important part of California divorces
If you are getting a divorce, you may have heard that California is a community property state, meaning that your marital assets will be divided equally between you and your soon-to-be ex. However, it is not possible to physically divide a home or car into two pieces....
When the Moore Marsden calculation comes into play
In California, a community property state, the spouses are the “community” and all that accrues to the community is held equally. Upon dissolution of marriage, all that was held by the community is split 50/50 – theoretically, at least. To achieve that 50/50 split,...