Southern California Family Law Blog

From dividing up marital assets to getting used to new living arrangements, ending a marriage can result in many changes and challenges for California couples. Because of all the issues related to a divorce, some soon-to-be-exes overlook matters related to their credit that could have a long-term effect on their ability to manage their finances.

A change in marital status alone doesn't affect credit scores; this information isn't even included on credit reports. The potential for credit problems is largely dependent on the nature of a divorce and the willingness of both spouses to live up to their debt responsibilities as dictated by a divorce agreement. Unfortunately, creditors are not legally obligated to honor divorce decrees. This could result in one former spouse having credit difficulties if the other one fails to keep up with their share of the payments.

People in California should understand that doing what is necessary to make a co-parenting relationship work requires making sure that the best interests of their children are prioritized. Many parents who get a divorce tend to not realize that while their marriage may have ended, their children's relationship with their other parent has not and that it is important that the other parent remains a part of the children's lives. It is worth noting that there are situations in which it may be necessary to ensure that the children are distanced from a parent, such as when that person is abusive.

Effective co-parenting can also be accomplished by ensuring that the households of both parents have the same rules. In order to avoid conflict between parents, it may be ideal to focus on establishing general expectations rather than enforcing hard rules. All the people who live in each household, including the parents, children and stepparents, should abide by the expectations. This allows the children to enjoy some consistency as they shuttle back and forth between households, and it eliminates any arguments the parents may have about following certain rules.

Going through a divorce leaves high-net-worth spouses with complex asset division issues. In 2009, Bitcoin first announced its existence to the world. It took approximately 10 years before cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin became hot topics for people contemplating divorce proceedings. The problem escalates when applied to high-asset division in divorce. In legal offices all over the globe, lawyers discuss cryptocurrencies as they relate to divorce.

Only a handful of family law lawyers have experience with cryptocurrencies as they relate to high-asset division in divorce. Most attorneys do not have knowledge about how to divide cryptocurrencies. This lack of knowledge could lead to long-drawn-out divorce proceedings because it is difficult to divide the fluctuating cryptocurrency values. Plus, a clever spouse can find ways to hide cryptocurrency holdings. Calling in the expertise of a digital forensics expert may lead to the hiding place. But the tactic produces more expenses.

Kids and teens in California have made texting a favorite form of communication. Though adults sometimes worry about the effects of texting and online chatting, a new study shows that there are some benefits, especially for kids who live with only one parent. The researchers say that texting and internet communication is helping to keep children of divorce in steady contact with both parents.

In the past, children of divorce were thought to be negatively affected by arguing between their parents. The better the parents got along with each other, the better off the child was emotionally. But now researchers say that recent studies indicate that the relationship between the parents doesn't matter as much as the relationship each parent has with the child.