The Financial Divorce Blog

Handling Debts in Divorce

Dkane — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 01:35:21 +0000

Handling your debts in the divorce can break you financially if handled incorrectly. Most individuals we meet are more concerned about the asset (property) side of the equation and often overlook the liability (debt) side of the equation. Divorce settlement proceedings often break down when it comes to dividing up the debt in [...]

Child Dependent Exemption Tax Deduction and Divorce

Dkane — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 04:22:47 +0000

For tax year 2009 and after, the rules for the Child Dependent Exemption Tax Deduction related to divorce have been changed.

The Internal Revenue Service amended the tax code related to the Child Dependency Exemption Deduction. Being able to claim the exemption for your dependent child has many significant tax advantages to the parent claiming [...]

Divorce Information Tips and Strategies to Protect Your Finances

Dkane — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 22:03:02 +0000

No one goes into their marriage thinking that they are going to have to pull things apart and pick-up the sometimes unfamiliar role of managing their finances. To some, this is what they are used to dealing with and to others, it becomes a very stressful task that is piled onto an already stressful [...]

Are you an Injured Spouse – Using IRS Form 8379

Dkane — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 20:41:08 +0000

Are you an Injured Spouse?

You are considered to be an injured spouse if you file a joint return and your overpayment of taxes (tax refund) is expected or has been applied (offset) against your spouse’s share of past due federal income tax, student loan, child support, alimony (spousal support), or state income tax. This is [...]

Child Support Calculators and Guidelines

Dkane — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 05:05:59 +0000

We receive inquiries on the topic of CALCULATING CHILD SUPPORT payments and determining the child support guidelines for specific states. Based on these inquiries, we have put together a comprehensive listing of all fifty states with the related links to the child support agencies to help in answering many of your child support questions. [...]

Equitable Property Rules for Property Settlements

Dakane — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:56:30 +0000

As mentioned in an earlier article, most states follow the Equitable Property rule when considering how to distribute property. The application of this rule is subjective and ultimately the court has the discretion to allocate property very disproportionately between the spouses, based upon what it considers “just and equitable.”

Non-marital property (such as an inheritance or gift, or property that was attained [...]

Valuing Real Estate in Your Property Settlement

Dakane — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 11:07:33 +0000

When it comes time to negotiate a fair settlement, make sure to account for the true value of the associated property. For example, if you determine that the fair market value of the property is $300,000 and the associated mortgage on the property is $230,000, the amount that you will be negotiating over is [...]

Divorce is Overwhelming….Where to Start?

Dakane — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 10:59:07 +0000

Many people find themselves in marriages that are destructive but are too intimidated by the process and the unknowns to know where to start. This is one of the reasons divorce lawyers make so much money – they help people navigate the system, and are a shoulder to lean on in a very tough [...]

Child Support Enforcement

Dkane — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 03:42:23 +0000

We receive many questions on the topic of enforcing child support payments. The individual state Child Support Enforcement (CSE) sites listed below can answer many of your questions. The most common questions center around the following:

Enforcing child support orders

Locating absent parents and their property

Getting an order of paternity, if the father needs to [...]

Divorce Impact on Life Insurance Needs

Dakane — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 21:58:49 +0000

It’s important to consider your life insurance needs prior to the divorce so that you can include appropriate provisions into your settlement.

If you pass while married, in most states, the property passes to the spouse who then presumably passes property along to their children. Divorce makes these decisions and inheritance paths [...]