New York Women’s Rights Lawyer
Evaluate the Nature of Your Divorce Settlement
All women considering divorce should remember a number of key points. First, a settlement that appears equal but is not particularly liquid may make for hard times in the future. For example, if a wife receives the house when marital property is distributed—an illiquid asset—and her husband receives investments—which are generally more liquid—she may have a hard time keeping the house. Maintaining a house requires cash flow, which can present a significant challenge for many former wives.
Consider the Tax Consequences of Your Settlement
Secondly, it is important for women to remember that tax consequences can greatly affect the value of a settlement. For example, the rules on retirement accounts can be complicated. When a large portion of the settlement is in retirement assets, the recipient should have knowledge about the potential tax ramifications and penalties. A Qualified Domestic Relations Order (QDRO) can be used to transfer money to a former spouse without penalty, which is something you should discuss with your lawyer.
Remember that Your Debts Will Also Be Divided
Additionally, women should remember that, when they file for divorce, they will divide more than just their assets – they may also divide their debts. Creditors don’t care about the terms and conditions of a separation agreement. They want their money, and they will not hesitate to go after both spouses to get it. For this reason, it would be wise for spouses to negotiate these details in a divorce settlement between themselves.
Protect Your Financial Security with a Life Insurance Policy
Finally, a woman would be well-advised to include a provision in her divorce settlement detailing the need for her former spouse to carry life insurance. This can help safeguard her own financial security, as well as that of her children, in the event that her former spouse dies an untimely death. Life insurance can be used to insure the payment of child support, alimony, and property settlements.
Contact our team at Lois M. Brenner, Esq. (646) 663-4546 for more information.
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We have Lois Brenner to thank for turning our marriage around. We hired Lois as our mediator when we were considering divorce. When we started working with her and she realized we wanted to try to keep our marriage together she suggested a postnuptial agreement to get our marriage back on track. Having the postnuptial agreement made us both accountable when it came to our issues. Having this doc in place is clearly helping us redefine our marriage in a better way. I don’t know if we will never get divorced, but for now we are respecting each others’ boundaries and are aware of the consequences if we don’t! It was really cool that Ms. Brenner suggested this method as an option. Most divorce attorneys would not have suggested a way for us to try to stay together. She is very talented and unusual in the best possible way. If we choose to take the divorce path eventually we will definitely hire her again. In the meantime we are making it work. She is amazing.- Joseph M
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I had read about Lois’ unusual divorce method in one of her blog posts. It was refreshing to see someone was working with the psychological issues in divorce. My husband is bipolar and getting him to agree to a divorce and commit to the process was tough. When we met with Lois she really understood him. She immediately identified his mental health issues, and because she has a psych background, she was empathetic to his needs and was skillful at guiding him through her divorce mediation process. It took a while but she really got us to a point where we could actually discuss things without my husband blowing up. Her method is unique and it really helped in our situation. She actually recommended a great psychiatrist who changed my husband’s meds at her urging (she has a medical degree too), and my husband is coping much better. We can’t thank her enough for her compassion and advice! If you need a divorce attorney, especially if mental illness is a part of the fabric of your marriage, go see Lois! Thanks Lois - Beena T.
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Everything you said about mediation was true. My husband and I really connected in a positive way working out the details of our divorce in mediation with you. The arguing was endless but we finally heard each other. You have a lot of patience. The property discussions made everything so emotional. You kept us focused and stopped us from rehashing the past. We tell everyone about you. Hopefully none of our friends will divorce but if they do we will tell them they need you.- Tom & Philip R.
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When I first decided to hire a divorce attorney, I thought a male attorney would be best. Lois Brenner really surprised me. Although she has written a divorce book on women’s rights, she is totally an advocate for men as well. She really understood how much I loved my kids, and listened and understood all the horrible things my wife was doing to destroy their relationship with me. She didn’t miss a beat and really went to bat for me. She reached out to my wife’s attorney every time my wife made any attempt to disrupt my visiting our kids and always demanded the best results. She made herself available, even when she was on vacation! Lois has been there every step of the way in these difficult circumstances. I highly recommend her.- Sam
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You two are really the dynamic duo! I can’t thank you both enough for the incredible job you did on my case. As a young career woman and working mother of a toddler I could not have been in better hands. You really toughened me up and guided me when I was feeling really lost. I was afraid of my husband’s clever antics but you worked hard on my case and encouraged me to fight. The settlement I received exceeded my expectations. You both listened, always returned e-mails, phone calls and even reached out to me on the weekends when I was having trouble. If anyone is going through a divorce and needs the best people to fight for you call Lois and Matt. It was the best thing I ever did. There are no words to express how grateful I am.- Tara P.
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“We are forever grateful!”- Donna and Frank
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Connecting with Lois was the best thing that could have happened during what has been very difficult and fraught divorce. Lois took on my case with knowledge, wisdom and care that have been above and beyond in every way. She recognized abusive and unstable behavior in my ex-husband, and offered both strong legal guidance, as well as personal encouragement and strength to stand up to him. Her support has been invaluable to me, and I am so deeply grateful for everything she has done in helping forge a better more stable future for me and for my son.- SC
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“Expert, Compassionate Counsel”- Alisa
