Divorce: Financial 411 for your Attorney

In your initial consult with your divorce attorney, he or she will likely spend most of the initial meeting getting an idea of the broad generalities of your case. Your attorney, during that first consult, will be able to tell you what to commonly expect regarding child custody and child …

Dispelling the Deadbeat Dad Myth

The oft-used term “dead beat dad” conjures up an image of a father who neglects to support his offspring emotionally or financially. Not every dad who does not fulfill his child support obligation can be accurately construed as a “dead beat.” The law recognizes this distinction.

The Dependent Tax Exemption Issue for Non-Custodial Parents

The legal right to claim a child as a dependent for income tax purposes is a significant issue which can easily be overlooked in dealing with all the other issues involved in custody, visitation, and support cases. The non-custodial parent may assume that the custodial parent gets to claim the …

When Child Support Can No Longer Be Afforded

If you find yourself in a situation where you can no longer make your court ordered child support payments, what do you do first? The first thing you need to do, is find out what the requirements for modifying a child support order are in your state. Most states will …

Financial 101 For Your Attorney

QDRO, COBRA and Divorce

Every field has its own set of abbreviations and acronyms. People who work in the field are comfortable using these terms but, to people who do not work in the area on a daily basis, the terminology is foreign. In domestic relations law two of the most common acronyms are …

The Impact of Relocation on Financial Orders

Other articles have addressed how to respond when the other party wants to move and relocate the minor child. The purpose of this article is to examine how relocation of one party might impact the financial orders in a divorce case (child support and maintenance). We will assume the relocation …

Divorce and Your Taxes: Part 3 – Alimony

Alimony, also referred to in some states as “maintenance”, is a payment to or for a spouse or former spouse under a divorce or separation instrument. Generally, court-ordered alimony is tax deductible to you and taxable to your recipient spouse or former spouse. If you are the person paying alimony, …

Divorce and Your Taxes: Part 2 – Child Support

If you pay child support, it is not tax deductible to you nor is it taxable to your recipient spouse. However, when calculating child support, it is important to consider who will be claiming your children as dependents for tax purposes and also to calculate the economic benefit a recipient …

Kleptocracy in Virginia

For the third time in six years, Virginia officials are trying to sneak through policies that will lead to more broken families and more fatherless children. They will also result in massive expropriations of Virginians without due process of law and the jailing of more law-abiding parents.