When it comes to assets in a divorce, the two biggest decisions are the house and the retirement. What do you do with the house in a divorce? I have some thoughts… Sell The easiest option to deal with the house in a divorce, is to sell the house. This accomplishes who gets the house (i.e. no one), it addresses the value, and it gets the equity to the parties. I’ll be honest, I love it when my clients sell the house in their divorce. It makes everything super clean… financially and emotionally. No one gets the emotional advantage of the house in the divorce and everyone gets paid. And ..read more

You’ve fallen in love again! It’s time to consider a prenup for your second marriage, or as we officially call them, premarital agreements. I love, love, love marriage! Although I am a divorce attorney, I hate divorce. I never want anyone planning their divorce before they get married. Honestly, if that’s why you want a prenup for your second marriage, don’t hire me.  So, when a divorce attorney suggests a mediated prenup for your second marriage helps create strong marriage, it’s smart to at least listen. Successful marriages don’t randomly happen. They happen by design and by ..read more

Congratulations on getting married! An Oregon mediated prenuptial agreement, or as we casually call them, prenups, helps you first marriage be your forever marriage. Let’s get this myth out of the way, asking for a prenup is not planning for a divorce. An Oregon mediated premarital agreement process opens-up a conversation about each party’s expectations, responsibilities, and goals for their marriage. Going through the process of talking about each party’s expectations is planning for a strong marriage. Think of a mediated prenup as a smart tool to navigate life’s twists and turns t ..read more

Question: What mistakes do people make in divorce? Answer: Most couples forget to protect the assets they received in the divorce… Divorce is difficult and draining. Once you make it through it, there are additional tasks you should complete to protect yourself. Unfortunately, most folks are so emotionally and financially drained from the divorce that they forget to complete the additional tasks. However, not completing these additional tasks is a HUGE mistake. Did you remove your former spouse from your credit cards? If your former spouse was an authorized user on your credit ..read more

Question: What is the biggest mistake people make after their divorce? Answer: Most couples forget to protect the assets they received in the divorce… Divorce is difficult and draining. Once you make it through it, there are additional tasks you should complete to protect yourself. Unfortunately, most folks are so emotionally and financially drained from the divorce that they forget to complete the additional tasks. However, not completing these additional tasks is a HUGE mistake. Did you remove your former spouse from your credit cards? If your former spouse was an authorized ..read more

You’ve fallen in love again! It’s time to consider a prenup for your second marriage, or as we officially call them, premarital agreements. I love, love, love marriage! It’s such a beautiful relationship. Although I am a divorce attorney, I hate divorce. I never want anyone planning their divorce before they get married. Honestly, if that’s why you want a prenup, don’t hire me.  So, when a divorce attorney suggests a mediated prenup for your second marriage helps create strong marriage, it’s smart to at least listen. Successful marriages don’t randomly happen. They happen by desig ..read more

Divorce is emotional and overwhelming. You may have been told that you should mediate your divorce. So, how does mediation work in divorce? Divorce mediation helps calm the emotions and guides parties to a fair resolution on assets, liabilities, support, and kiddos. So How Does Mediation Work When Getting A Divorce? In a divorce, you can choose to either hire two attorneys and go to court or you can choose to hire a mediator and avoid court (and also avoid the cost of court). Divorce mediation is a process where a neutral third party, the mediator, guides divorcing couples through a ..read more

There are five ways to get a divorce in Oregon. Each option has pros and cons. Keep reading to discover which way to get a divorce in Oregon is best for you. Using Forms You can use forms from your local circuit court, the Oregon Judicial Department, or from the internet. The obvious advantage of this option is that it is cheap. No one has a divorce savings account. Most couples either pay for their divorce on their credit cards or borrow from family. So, the cost of this option is extremely appealing to many folks. There are so many disadvantages to using forms. If you have liabiliti ..read more

“What are the best ways to help my children through my divorce?” The best way to help your children through your divorce is to recognize that each child’s age will affect how each child is impacted by your divorce. Each age group should be handled in unique ways. Here are the best ways to help each age group. Infant to Five. Young children don’t understand the word, “divorce.” They understand where they live and where each parent lives. So, keep it simple and tell them Daddy lives here and Mommy lives there, and [insert child’s name] lives with each of us on different days. They ma ..read more

In Oregon, a premarital agreement is commonly referred to as a prenuptial agreement, aka a prenup. So, in Oregon, a premarital agreement is a prenup and a prenup is a premarital agreement. For ease of writing, I will refer to it as a prenup. Marriage is the single biggest action you can take that legally changes your rights to your property, debts, and income. You can’t get a phone without signing a contract. And yet… No one makes you sign anything telling you that the act of marriage delivers half of your assets and half of your income to your spouse while also giving you the gift of h ..read more