When you are facing a life changing decision like divorce, what do you think you will find more valuable: Someone to make you feel better by saying that nothing has to change, or someone who will give it to you straight, no chaser? I feel strongly that not enough people in the world of divorce professionals will truly tell it like it is. They tell you want you to hear which can lead … [Read more...] about The Top 3 HUGE Settlement Mistakes
Financial Professional Perspective on Collaborative Divorce
What About the Money?
In the process of divorce, the issue of money is not only important in the current situation, but can lend to opportunities to put yourself on a productive path subsequent to the process. How does a neutral financial professional (NFP) help in the Collaborative process? Let’s explore. First, the NFP works for the process, and not either party. Neither spouse is created equal, but they are … [Read more...] about What About the Money?
Assessing Digital and Virtual Assets in Divorce
When we help divorcing couples through a case in Collaborative Divorce, we rely on what’s called a “Roadmap to Resolution” to assist us in the process. One of the first steps in the Roadmap is to gather information. Thanks to the digital age, the kind of information we’re gathering is expanding. I was first made of two new asset categories by one of the leaders in the Collaborative community, and … [Read more...] about Assessing Digital and Virtual Assets in Divorce
Separate Property Claims and Tracing in Divorce
I worked my first separate property tracing case in 1988 and have been participating in them ever since. Separate property claims can be and often are hotly contested and emotional matters in a Texas divorce no matter if the divorce is done in regular litigation or a collaborative process. The general presumption is that all property owned at divorce is community property and therefore is to be … [Read more...] about Separate Property Claims and Tracing in Divorce
Protecting Your Separate Property Before Divorce
When dividing assets in a Texas divorce, it's helpful to know what's community property and what's separate property. There are steps you can take before a divorce to designate your separate property as yours. As anyone who has spent any time in Texas knows, Texas is a community property state. In the event of a divorce, the presumption is that all property owned at the time of divorce is … [Read more...] about Protecting Your Separate Property Before Divorce
Can You Get a Divorce AND Have Joyous Holidays?
This article was written by Tracy Stewart, a College-Station based financial planner, a Brazos Valley Collaborative Divorce Alliance founding member, and a former Collaborative Law Institute of Texas board member specializing in collaborative divorce. Yes. Get a collaborative divorce. Steer clear of a court-system divorce. Avoid draining your savings. Side step family squabbles. Enjoy your … [Read more...] about Can You Get a Divorce AND Have Joyous Holidays?
Why Choose Collaborative Divorce? Here Are Six Good Reasons
We thought this recent blog article from the Brazos Valley Collaborative Law Alliance was worth a share -- written by former Collaborative Law Institute of Texas board member and BVCLA founding member Tracy Stewart, it looks at six benefits of choosing collaborative law for settling a divorce. She's able to boil the six benefits down to single words -- control, support, focus, money, future, and … [Read more...] about Why Choose Collaborative Divorce? Here Are Six Good Reasons
How Attachment Theory Applies to Divorce
The following article is from Steve Walker, a Frisco-based financial planner and board member of the Collaborative Law Institute of Texas. I had the pleasure of attending a Collaborative Law Institute of Texas-sponsored training in Houston last week, which featured presentations by therapist Yuval Berger and attorney Lisa Alexander -- both of them experienced collaborative professionals from … [Read more...] about How Attachment Theory Applies to Divorce
How to Get Your Finances in Order Before a Divorce
This article is from Richard D. Soat, a San Antonio-based financial professional with BDO (a professional services firm providing assurance, tax, financial advisory and consulting services) and a board member of the Collaborative Law Institute of Texas. The opinions expressed on this site are Rick Soat’s own and do not necessarily represent the views of BDO USA, LLP. The initiation of divorce can … [Read more...] about How to Get Your Finances in Order Before a Divorce
How to Handle Sudden Wealth from a Divorce
This article is from Richard D. Soat, a San Antonio-based financial professional with BDO (a professional services firm providing assurance, tax, financial advisory and consulting services) and a board member of the Collaborative Law Institute of Texas. The opinions expressed on this site are Rick Soat’s own and do not necessarily represent the views of BDO USA, LLP. A few months ago, I came … [Read more...] about How to Handle Sudden Wealth from a Divorce
