PartWise | Common Questions

Common Questions

What you Need to Know

Find answers to specific questions that often come up as you navigate divorce.

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Parenting

My children are not even in school, how can we come up with a parenting plan now for 12 or more years?

Parenting

Are there ways to involve our children in educational decisions without putting pressure on them to choose sides?

Parenting

Can you provide an example of how parent coordination might work in practice?

Financial

Property Division

How do I know if my spouse’s client list or goodwill has value to be looked at in divorce?

Process

Cash Flow

Can a lump sum buyout agreement be modified in the future?

Post Divorce

What if I encounter resistance or confusion when updating my name with certain institutions?

Asset Allocation

Property Division

How can an Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP) impact divorce proceedings?

Parenting

What steps can we take if one parent consistently fails to communicate about important decisions or events?

Parenting

How can I determine the right time to introduce my children to my new significant other to ensure it is in their best interest?

Financial

Property Division

Why can’t we both have our names on the 529 plans?

Retirement

Property Division

What about a loan against my retirement?

Process

Parenting

My state doesn’t use the term “visitation” – so what is it called when my ex has time with the children?

Parenting

If we agree to change our parenting time schedule, do we have to notify anyone or can we just implement the change ourselves?

Process

Cash Flow

How can disputes over direct expenses be resolved in a divorce?

Financial

Cash Flow

What types of expenses can be paid directly as part of support in a divorce?

Parenting

What should we do if we disagree on a specific medical treatment or intervention for our child?

Parenting

What steps can we take if one parent consistently disagrees with the agreed-upon guidelines and discipline measures, leading to inconsistent enforcement?

Legal

Property Division

Is my state an equitable division state?

Legal

Property Division

We never combined any of our assets, do we still have to share them in divorce?

Post Divorce

Property Division

Can the property division be changed after the divorce is finalized?

Asset Allocation

Property Division

Can I use my bank appraisal from a mortgage refinance to establish a value of the house for divorce?

Financial

Cash Flow

How do I calculate my income if I am a stay-at-home parent?

Parenting

What are the benefits and potential drawbacks of jurisdictions that do not use custody labels but instead focus on comprehensive parenting plans?

Budgeting

Cash Flow

We lived in a $500,000 house during our marriage, do I have a right to another house of that same price moving forward?

Attorney

Getting Started

Attorneys

Do attorneys accept credit card payments?

Financial

Cash Flow

Property Division

How are cash flow and property division connected?

Attorney

Getting Started

Attorneys

What if I don’t have money to pay my attorney?

Parenting

In jurisdictions without custody labels, how are disputes about decision-making and parenting time typically resolved?

Parenting

What are some best practices for keeping each other informed about schedules, costs, and commitments related to our children's extracurricular activities?

Budgeting

Cash Flow

Do we need a budget if we both have sufficient income to meet our reasonable need?

Cash Flow

What happens if spousal support ends while I still have minor children?

Asset Allocation

Property Division

What are options for dividing/sharing equity in bank accounts?

Parenting

How can parents create a relocation plan that minimizes disruption to the children’s education and social life?

Legal

Cash Flow

Is spousal support the same as child support?

Attorney

Getting Started

Attorneys

How will an attorney communicate with me?

Parenting

What are some effective strategies for ensuring timely and consistent sharing of important information about our children’s school and medical updates?

Financial

Cash Flow

What should I consider before agreeing to a direct payment arrangement in my divorce?

Parenting

Should we coordinate gift giving on birthdays and holidays post-divorce?

Parenting

We have a week on/week off parenting schedule, but it’s too long to be away – is there anything I can do?

Financial

Cash Flow

How can spouses ensure a fair and equitable lump sum buyout agreement?

Cash Flow

Are there cost of living increases to spousal support?

Parenting

How should I address concerns about substance use during my co-parent's parenting time?

Financial

Cash Flow

Are property division and cash flow the same thing?

Financial

Cash Flow

What are some potential risks or downsides of accepting a lump sum buyout?

Parenting

How should we handle situations where our children are struggling to adjust to a new significant other in one of our lives?

Asset Allocation

Post Divorce

Property Division

How do we divide frequent flyer miles or reward points after divorce?

Property Division

Post Divorce

How does a lien on real estate work in securing a settlement payment for the non-retaining spouse?

Parenting

What should we do if one parent repeatedly fails to support or attend the child's extracurricular activities, causing the child to feel disappointed or unsupported?

Parenting

I would like our child to participate in an activity that only occurs on my parenting time – do I need my co-parent’s agreement?

Parenting

I lost my job and found a new job out of state, how will my parenting schedule be impacted if I have to move?

Legal

Property Division

Do I have to share my inheritance?

Process

Cash Flow

Our parenting time schedule recently changed, do we have to update child support?

Cash Flow

How do I calculate medical, dental and insurance premiums for the kids?

Cash Flow

How do I calculate my income if I am paid hourly?

Parenting

My co-parent doesn’t answer my calls when I want to talk to the children – what can I do?

Parenting

How can parents collaboratively develop a new parenting schedule that accommodates the needs of both parents and the children after a relocation?

Post Divorce

Property Division

Can I start my own accounts for the benefit of the children after the divorce?

Asset Allocation

Property Division

How should I think through property division?

Asset Allocation

Property Division

How is my disability insurance policy addressed in divorce?

Financial

Property Division

What is the difference between a credit score and a credit report?

Property Division

Post Divorce

Are there tax implications to consider when transferring real estate post-divorce?

Process

Getting Started

Process & Other Professionals

What do I do if my spouse and I cannot agree on a process?

General

Property Division

What are options for our pet in a divorce?

Parenting

I would like my child to take swimming lessons, I want her to take lessons at the local community center that costs $100 a session and my co-parent wants to go to a private swim school for $500 a session. I cannot afford this – what should we do?

Professionals

Getting Started

Process & Other Professionals

What’s the difference between using a CDFA and just asking my financial advisor for help?

Process

Getting Started

Attorneys

If I don’t have an attorney, do I have to go in front of a judge to obtain a divorce?

Retirement

Post Divorce

Property Division

Can retirement assets be divided without a QDRO if both parties agree?

Process

Cash Flow

We have changed our child support agreement informally, do we need to file something with the court?

Financial

Cash Flow

I want to retire but have a spousal support obligation, what should I do?

Financial

Cash Flow

Instead of paying spousal maintenance, can I make my ex-spouse’s house payment?

Post Divorce

Cash Flow

How do I modify child support or spousal support after divorce?

Retirement

Property Division

What does "tax-effecting" retirement mean?

Parenting

What considerations should be taken into account when involving a third party, such as a family member or professional service, in transportation duties?

Post Divorce

How do I change my name on my professional licenses and certifications?

Property Division

Post Divorce

Property Division

What if the property is underwater (worth less than the mortgage) during the divorce?

Financial

Property Division

I have been secretly saving money that my spouse doesn’t know about, can I keep all of it?

Asset Allocation

Property Division

How is a term life insurance policy addressed in divorce?

Getting Started

Readiness

What if my spouse doesn’t want a divorce?

Process

Parenting

What are the benefits of using a parent coordinator in a high-conflict co-parenting situation?

Parenting

When one parent moves a greater distance away from the other, does the relocated parent have an obligation to facilitate and pay for additional transportation?

Cash Flow

Do only men/husbands that have to pay spousal support?

Process

Property Division

Do I have to disclose assets to my spouse that are in my name alone?

Professionals

Process & Other Professionals

Is arbitration better than going to court?

Process

Getting Started

Process & Other Professionals

Do I have to start over if the collaborative process is terminated?

Property Division

What valuation date should be used for the final property division?

Legal

Cash Flow

My ex just took a new job and makes substantially more money than when we were divorced, do I have a right to more in spousal support?

Professionals

Process & Other Professionals

Getting Started

Do I need non-lawyer professionals for my divorce?

Getting Started

Readiness

What do I do if my spouse and I have very different levels of divorce readiness?

Parenting

How can we handle transportation logistics if one parent lives significantly farther away from the child’s school or extracurricular activities?

Retirement

Post Divorce

Property Division

Are there any fees associated with the QDRO process?

Property Division

Post Divorce

How can a quit claim deed affect my financial future if I transfer my interest in the property to my ex-spouse?

Parenting

If my co-parent disagrees with the timing of introducing a new significant other, what steps can we take to reach a consensus?

Parenting

We don’t have travel or vacation time built into our parenting plan, can I plan a vacation with the children?

Asset Allocation

Property Division

Why are my student loans not a shared/marital debt?

Asset Allocation

Property Division

What’s the difference between a home equity loan and a HELOC (home equity line of credit)?

Parenting

What are some effective ways to maintain the non-relocating parent's involvement in the children’s lives after a move?

Asset Allocation

Process & Other Professionals

Property Division

How do I know if my spouse is hiding money?

Process

Post Divorce

What happens if one spouse wants to keep the home but can't qualify for a mortgage on their own?

Property Division

Post Divorce

Can we use a private contract (like a property settlement note) to handle the division of real estate equity?

Parenting