What Are Some Of The Dangers Associated With One Spouse Not Being Familiar With Their Financial Situation When Headed For A Divorce?

It’s not uncommon for one spouse to be unaware of the financial situation prior to divorce. This can be helped with a Financial Early Neutral Evaluation (FENE), which requires the other spouse to provide financial information regarding all of the assets. This is part of what is considered an alternative dispute resolution, which means that the parties—in the absence of a judge—can come to an agreement about the division of assets. The job of the evaluator is to examine the facts of the case and state what they believe a judge would decide. This gives the parties a preview of what would happen if they went to trial with the information.

If Someone Is Planning On Filing For A Divorce, How Can They Protect Themselves Financially?

It is illegal to hide assets; doing so is considered fraud and could cause the court to reopen the divorce case if those assets were to be located. For this reason, hiding assets is not an effective way to protect themselves financially prior to divorce.

All of the assets that came into the relationship during the marriage are considered joint assets. Premarital assets are assets that were owned by one spouse prior to the marriage. Generally speaking, premarital assets and inheritances received by one spouse during or before the marriage would be considered nonmarital assets, but there are some exceptions.

Whether one person was the breadwinner and the other a stay-at-home spouse, both parties are considered to contribute to the earnings and assets of the couple, therefore both parties are entitled to an equitable share of those assets. In this context, the term ‘equitable’ means that if one person has the potential to earn quite a bit more money than the other, then the spouse with the lesser potential is likely going to get more of the assets during the divorce. In this sense, ‘equitable’ does not necessarily mean that there will be an equal, fifty-fifty split of the assets, although that is possible.

To protect oneself financially prior to divorce, it’s very important to speak with an attorney and be honest about the assets. There may be ways to protect certain assets, but it’s not advisable to hide assets. There can be an agreement to not give or take any assets during the marriage and to not split the assets in any way, but once the divorce is final, such a decision would be irreversible. However, hiding assets is always a problem and can cause the divorce case to be reopened.

If A Mother Is In An Unsafe Marriage, Does She Have The Right To Take The Children Before Filing For Divorce In Minnesota?

The parent-child relationship is very special, and every parent has a duty to protect their children from harm. Generally speaking, a person doesn’t have this same duty toward strangers. If a parent fails to protect their child from harm and remove their child from danger, then they could be charged with neglect. If a mother is in an unsafe marriage within which their children may be harmed or in danger, then that mother should do what’s necessary to protect her children. If the court decides that what a mother did in order to protect her children was not warranted, then the court might order compensatory time for the parenting time that was lost or taken away from the other parent.

For more information on Divorce Cases In Minnesota, an initial consultation is your next best step. Get the information and legal answers you are seeking by calling (763) 284-5552 today.