Fort Worth, Texas Divorce Law Blog

The decisions made during a divorce in Texas and around the country often have profound consequences. When the assets involved are complex and their division could have far-reaching financial ramifications, it may be wise for divorcing spouses to seek the advice of professionals with experience in this area. Consulting a certified divorce financial analyst may be a particularly prudent step to take for a spouse who did not play an active role when business and investment decisions were made and could otherwise be at a disadvantage during property division negotiations.

While accountants and investment advisers can provide information about tax issues or the current value of stock portfolios, divorce financial analysts receive training that deals specifically with divorce negotiations and settlement options. This kind of advice can prevent costly mistakes when assets such as business interests and private equity holdings must be divided. Consulting a professional can also help to ensure that potentially emotional decisions are made pragmatically.

Noncustodial parents in Texas are often granted the right to spend time with their children. However, they must do whatever is in the child's best interest to retain those rights over the long-term. In some cases, a court may order supervised visitation to ensure the safety of a minor when in the presence of a potentially dangerous parent. Regardless of whether visitation is supervised or not, a parent should show up on time as scheduled.

If a noncustodial parent is going to be hosting his or her child overnight, it is a good idea to prepare the home ahead of time. This could mean making sure that the child's favorite food or toys are available while there. It might also mean ensuring that the child has a place to sleep and adequate privacy.

Couples in Texas who are going through the divorce process are often concerned about the way divorce will affect their finances and standard of living. One question that often arises has to do with if an ex-wife will qualify for alimony. While judges will look at a variety of factors, there are some general guidelines that determine if they will award alimony to an ex-wife.

It is common for judges to look at the standard of living that the couple enjoyed during their marriage and see if a wife has the ability to maintain that standard of living on her own. The judge may take into consideration the fact that a wife may have devoted time to domestic duties while she was married as opposed to furthering her education or developing skills that would have allowed her to pursue a career.

When people in Texas decide to divorce, the process can uncover significant financial differences between the two spouses. This is especially true when one person has dedicated time to leaving the workplace and caring for the children or has moved from one place to another to support his or her spouse's career. When one spouse will suffer financially due to the separation, the court may order spousal support for a period of time after the divorce. Alimony can be temporary in some cases while in others, it may be permanent. This difference is often based on the marriage's length.

In many cases, alimony will not be awarded at all after a very short marriage because the spouses' divergent economic circumstances were less likely to be caused by the marriage itself. It is more common in longer marriages, where one individual served as a stay-at-home parent, or the entire family was focused on supporting the successful career of one spouse, often at the expense of the other person's potential career and educational development. In the case of long marriages, typically 20 years or more, the court may award the lower-earning spouse permanent spousal support. Permanent alimony is most common when both parties are older. In shorter marriages with younger people, spousal support is more likely to be issued for a particular period of time.