Property issues develop as part of the division of the family assets that were accumulated during the marriage. This can include a home, second residences, cars, 401K’s, IRA’s, retirement plans, stock and stock options, and other assets that are considered part of the community property. How to divide those assets is an important part of the divorce process.
Barbara works to help her clients understand the extent and the value of the property to be divided. This knowledge helps clients during negotiations to have a better understanding of their marital assets. This knowledge is invaluable in helping the parties reach an acceptable division of the marital property in their divorce. One of the first steps is to create an inventory of the marital estate. For many divorcing couples, this may be the first time that both parties have a full understanding of everything that they own.
Developing the inventory includes determining the real value of the property. Knowing this value can make the difference in achieving the client’s short-term and long-term goals. Those goals can include who gets the house, the second residence, how stocks and retirement accounts will be divided, and how accumulated debt will be split.