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Choose a Non-Litigation Process for Child Custody Parenting Plans
When parents separate, finding a way to share custody of the children can be a painful and emotionally challenging effort. Parents and children suffer with separation and struggle to find a path to restructure their family. If parents are not able to reach agreement...
Helping Your Child Through Your Divorce
Extensive research suggests that for children of divorce, what is most damaging is the experience of their parents fighting. How children adjust and fare after a divorce is closely linked to how their parents get along with each other. Those children whose parents are...
What Questions to Ask About 529 Plans and the New Tax Act When Preparing a Divorce Agreement
In cases involving children, it is commonplace for divorce agreements to include provisions governing the payment of college expenses. This may include terms governing any existing 529 college savings plans. The new tax act now considers qualified expenses under 529...
How Personal Goodwill Affects Business Valuation in a Divorce
I have been asked to value professional services businesses (law firms, accounting firms, medical practices, engineering firms, consulting firms, etc.) in a number of instances for marital dissolutions in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties....
Using Life and Disability Insurance to Protect Alimony
Parties that are crafting an alimony settlement should consider the future consequences of an interruption of the negotiated income stream. Alimony is dependent on the capacity to pay a stream of income from one party to another. If the alimony is sourced from earned...
When Is A Dollar Not A Dollar?
As a financial advisor, I think one of the most confusing aspects of money is that not all of it works the same way. This becomes much more apparent in the divorce process for property distribution. Many of my clients are surprised to find out that often times a...
Should I Refinance or Assume the Mortgage on the Marital Home?
The discussion about division of assets initially revolves around the marital residence, as jointly owned real estate and retirement are perhaps the most significant marital assets subject to distribution in a divorce. The decision whether to retain or sell the...
Collaborative Divorce Helps Couples Plan a Future Apart – The Legal Intelligencer Spotlight
Collaborative divorce in Pennsylvania supported by trained Collaborative Law Professionals can help couples resolve common family law issues pertaining to divorce. Divorce lawyers have learned that when spouses can work together they can create a healthier and less...
What You Need to Know About Alimony Payments and Recent Tax Changes
Prior to the December 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), when one spouse paid alimony (or separate maintenance payments) to the other spouse in a divorce, the paying spouse could deduct the alimony payments on his/her Federal income tax form. At the same time, the...
A Tale Of Two Kitties
There were two female cats who were best friends. Unfortunately the both of them were experiencing problems in their marriages. They were unsure what to do next but knew they couldn't stay in their current situation. The one cat, Princess, heard she should hire...