Benjamin Franklin once observed that “in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” Death, thankfully, is not something that is triggered by divorce, but taxes most certainly are.
We’ve talked before about taxes tied to alimony and child support payments because those...
Continue reading…
You might think that encouraging hundreds of huge bags of hot air with no real steering mechanism to take to the sky at the same time would be a recipe for disaster. But if you have ever been to the Balloon Fiesta, you know it is more like poetry in motion.
You've spent your career walking into important meetings. You know being prepared makes all the difference in the world, and that’s just as true as you walk into your first meeting between you and your attorney and your soon-to-be-ex-spouse and their attorney as it is when you walk into a boardroom.
A couple hundred years ago, protecting your family’s wealth meant marrying your cousin. (Hello European royal families!) Today, thankfully, there are many other ways to secure your family’s assets and legacy. One of the ways ultra-high net worth families here in the Albuquerque area do this is by setting up a family...
Continue reading…
Most divorcing couples in Albuquerque start out wanting the same thing: an amicable split, a clean break, and a chance to get on with their lives. That's especially true for business owners and professionals, who usually have more urgent things to do than fight in court.
But every so...
Continue reading…
Technically, yes. You can also start eating gas station sushi and get a Mike Tyson-inspired face tattoo. There’s no New Mexico law that will stop you from doing any of these things.
But if you're a business owner or professional contemplating these moves, the honest answer is: it's legally...
Continue reading…
Reading through the reams of documents created when you started or bought into a S-corp is a task you likely delegated to an attorney. Your job was running the business, or supporting your business-running spouse, not checking to see that every i was dotted and t crossed. You likely opted not to...
Continue reading…
If you own a business and you're facing divorce, you've probably already been told that mediation and collaborative divorce are both “alternatives to litigation.” That's true, but it's about as helpful as saying apples and bananas are both fruit. For a business owner, knowing the difference matters, because the divorce...
Continue reading…
A W2 is something you can hold in your hand. So is a bank statement or a stock certificate. These tangible, employment-derived assets are what New Mexico policy-makers were focused on when they drafted our state’s divorce laws.
Little thought was given to intangible/future/theoretical compensation like phantom stock...
Continue reading…
Ask ten Albuquerque locals what “green chile” tastes like, and you’ll get ten different answers. Mild. Medium. Hatch-in-August-fiery. It's one word covering a huge range of flavor. The same is true when someone tells you hiring a “financial expert” is a must when you are headed toward divorce. That phrase covers...
Continue reading…