Timothy Sumer

LOOKING FOR HELP? DIVORCE AND YOUR MONEY: PODCASTS: SUBSCRIBE: Episode 78 of the Divorce and Your Money Show discusses trusts and how they are affected in a divorce.   Legal trusts are often used for such things as estate planning and asset protection. They can also be used for gifting, asset management, tax shelters, or protection from creditors. A trust is a legal vehicle, where a grantor puts assets or money aside, and the person who will receive it later is called the beneficiary. A third person known as the trustee is in charge of managing the assets.   The most important point to notice about trusts in a divorce is the language used in the trust document. You need an attorney to look at this language, which can be very specific or pretty broad. The type of trust and how it is worded for the beneficiary are really important. A well-worded trust explicitly states that the money in the trust is only for the beneficiary. It can prevent a spouse from gett...

LOOKING FOR HELP? DIVORCE AND YOUR MONEY: PODCASTS: SUBSCRIBE: In an ideal world, it would take a minimal amount of time to go through a divorce. Unfortunately, in the real world, divorce is a slow process. Courts are packed, attorneys are slow, and the process often takes a year or two. However, it is possible to drag it out even longer, particularly if your spouse uses delay tactics. It can make your divorce more expensive and puts you in a much worse financial position. If your spouse is out to punish you, they can do so by dragging out the divorce.   This episode is about some tricks that your spouse may use to delay your divorce. Also listen to episode 147, where we discussed ways to combat some of these tricks.   Be prepared if your spouse uses any of these tactics against you: Your spouse fails to respond to discovery. Your spouse changes lawyers. Your spouse does not communicate at all. Your spouse brings needless motions.   Discovery is one of th...