Many couples choose to avoid entering into prenuptial agreements because they think it represents a lack of faith in the couple’s future. This failure to create a premarital agreement can have serious consequences if the marriage later dissolves. Fortunately, even after a couple is married, the parties can still enter into an agreement, in which they decide how certain assets will be divided in the event of a divorce. This type of document is known as a postmarital agreement and is an important tool for couples who have diverse or significant assets. However, there are certain requirements that must be met for postmarital agreements to be considered valid, so if you are thinking about drafting your own postmarital agreement, it is critical to retain and consult with an experienced high asset divorce attorney.

The Benefits of Postmarital Agreements

Drafting a postmarital agreement gives the parties involved the opportunity to assess their separate and marital property, including unique assets like antiques and jewelry, as well as debt, expenses, and spending habits. These agreements, like premarital agreements, allow the parties to not only identify assets but also to convert those assets from marital property to separate property or vice versa. Couples are also permitted to address the following topics:

Late last year, Congress passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which made significant changes to the deductibility of alimony payments. The recent amendments could have a serious impact on Texas couples who finalize their divorces next year, so if you are considering filing for divorce, it is critical to contact an experienced high asset divorce attorney who can explain the legal ramifications that the new law could have on your own divorce.

Alimony Basics

Except in specific circumstances, the amount of alimony that a former spouse can receive in Texas is capped at:

The financial issues that couples must tackle during divorce are some of the most complicated problems that come with dissolving a marriage, especially for couples with significant or diverse assets. In these situations, consulting with a forensic accountant who can help identify concealed assets or appraise unique assets is crucial, so if you and your spouse have filed for divorce and have varied assets, you should consider speaking with an experienced high asset divorce attorney who can help connect you to a well-respected and efficient forensic accountant.

What Is Forensic Accounting?

There are four main financial components to most divorces: assets, income, debts, and expenses. Forensic accountants can help with each of these areas by collecting and analyzing financial documents and then communicating the findings to the clients or the court. This involves completing a wide range of smaller asks, including:

Many couples who get divorced are able to agree on who will retain what property. However, the more unusual assets and collectibles a couple has, the harder it becomes to appraise them and determine who should retain ownership, especially when an item has an extremely high value or has a special meaning to one of the spouses. While this could include jewelry, as well as antiques, more and more families are investing in artwork, which means that in most cases, if the couple divorces, the property will need to be divided equitably.

Appraisals and proof of purchase are critical to the outcome of these types of conflict, as courts consider property obtained prior to a marriage to be the sole property of the original owner. Even when a piece of art was purchased after divorce, one party could have a strong claim to it if it was given as a gift or was part of an inheritance. Because dividing unusual assets, such as artwork, is so difficult, retaining an experienced high asset divorce attorney is critical to ensuring that all of a couple’s property is fairly and promptly divided upon divorce.

Preparatory Steps

Having a professional practice can make the divorce process much more difficult, as the parties are usually required to value and divide not only personal property but also professional assets and business interests. These types of challenges are best handled by an experienced high asset divorce attorney, so if you have decided to file for divorce and either you or your spouse has a professional practice, please contact our legal team for an initial evaluation of your case.

Dividing Marital Property

Under Texas law, couples who dissolve their marriages must divide all marital assets equitably. This applies to the contents of bank accounts, retirement funds, stocks, real estate, personal belongings, and even business interests. In fact, even when a spouse doesn’t have a specific interest in a business, as is usually the case when one spouse runs a professional practice, he or she could still have a claim to a portion of the business’s value, although not to the practice itself.

Couples who divorce in Texas must divide their assets on an equitable and fair basis. This includes bank account funds, vehicles, real estate, personal property, retirement funds, and even debt. However, property division can become difficult when a diverse range of assets are involved. For example, many high asset divorces involve the division of stock options, which are divisible in some, but not all situations. If you own stock options and are concerned about how or if they will be divided upon divorce, please contact an experienced Cedar Park high asset divorce attorney who can explain your options.

Separate Property Calculations

Like any other type of property owned by a couple, stocks can be divided during divorce, but only if they are considered marital property. If, for instance, a spouse owned stock as separate property prior to the marriage, he or she could retain sole ownership of those stocks. However, this only applies if the spouse participates in a stock option plan that is provided by their employer and the option or stock was granted before the marriage, but needed to continuously remain employed during the marriage before the option could be exercised. In these cases, the spouse’s interest will be equal to the fraction of the option in which the numerator is the sum of:

Dividing marital assets can be one of the most contentious issues in a Texas divorce, especially when a significant amount of money is at stake. In many cases, couples must resort to litigation and have a judge issue an order directing them as to how their assets should be divided. Litigating a divorce in court can be expensive, time-consuming, and emotionally draining, so it is important for couples to remember that it is possible to avoid litigation completely and reach a fair settlement through mediation. This option allows couples to maintain more control over the terms of their final arrangement, while also saving them time and money. For more information on whether mediation is right for you, please contact one of our Georgetown high asset divorce attorneys at your earliest convenience.

Property Division Settlement

Mediation offers divorcing couples an environment where they can work through divorce-related issues respectfully. These conversations are facilitated by a neutral third party who can help keep the parties on track, remind them of their goals, and ensure that emotion does not derail proceedings. There are other benefits to choosing mediation for a high asset divorce including the following:

Couples with high assets face a number of unique issues that other divorcing couples do not. This is largely due to the fact that these individuals have a variety of different assets that must be identified, valued, and then divided. In many cases, this also means that the parties own multiple pieces of real estate, including vacation homes, as well as rental properties, which in turn, raises a host of issues.

For instance, both parties may wish to remain in possession of a single property, or one party may wish to sell it and divide the proceeds. However, before these decisions can even be made, the parties will need to obtain an accurate valuation. This can also be a difficult process, as there are a variety of different ways to value property, making it especially important for those who own real estate and are going through a divorce to speak with an experienced Round Rock high asset divorce attorney who can ensure that their property is properly evaluated.

Real Estate Appraisal