Preface.
Chapter 1 The Unthinkable.
Divorce from a Personal Financial Planning Perspective.
Divorce Etiquette.
Should You File?
Should You Separate or Divorce?
Types of Divorce.
What Will Others Think?
What to Do First: Looking at the Big Picture.
Taking the High Road.
Regrouping.
Informing the Children.
Coming to Grips with the Reality of the Situation: Representation.
Hiring an Attorney.
Involving Others: Your Support Team.
Becoming Too Passive.
What to Do Before You Leave Home for Good.
Rattiner’s Planning Tips.
Chapter 2 Minimizing the Damage.
Negotiating Your Way out of a Trial.
Early-on Negotiations.
Can You Negotiate What You Want?
Negotiating through Your Lawyer.
Last-Minute Negotiations: The Settlement Conference.
Take Care of Yourself—It’s All About Me.
Take Care of Your Family.
Protect Your Mail.
Protect Your Computer.
Close Joint Accounts.
Utilities.
Establish Your Own Credit.
Protect Your Separate Property.
Filing a Tax Return.
Relief from Joint Liability.
Temporary Support Agreements.
Reentering the Workforce.
Rattiner’s Planning Tips.
Chapter 3 Paying for Divorce.
Costs Involved.
What Should You Pay for in the Divorce?
How Long Will You Have to Pay These Expenses?
Creating a Budget.
Analyzing Your Income.
Going Solo.
Joint Assets.
How to Pay for It: Avoid Paying for Your Ex’s Legal Fees.
Rattiner’s Planning Tips.
Chapter 4 Plan of Attack: Let the Games Begin!
Taking Your Ex Out.
Litigation.
Anything Other Than Litigation.
Mediation.
Collaborative Divorce.
Arbitration.
The Preliminaries: Gathering the Evidence.
Rattiner’s Planning Tips.
Chapter 5 Alimony and Child Support Issues.
Alimony: Maintenance and/or Spousal Support.
Alimony Recapture: Too Much Alimony Paid Too Soon.1
Child Support.
Rattiner’s Planning Tips.
Chapter 6 Divorce Can Be Taxing!
Property Settlements.
Filing Status.
Sale of the Principal Residence.
Like-Kind Exchanges under IRC Section 1031.
Tax Credits Regarding Children.
Rattiner’s Tax Planning Tips.
Chapter 7 Retirement Plans.
Vesting Rules.
Types of Retirement Plans.
Understanding Qualified Domestic Relations Orders (QDRO).
Valuation of Retirement Plans.
Determining How Much of the Valuation Is Your Share.
Using Retirement Assets to Buy Out or Balance Out Equity.
Your Ex’s Remarriage or Death and Your Vested Pension Benefits.
Discovery of Retirement Plans.
Common Mistakes Pertaining to Retirement Plans.
Rattiner’s Planning Tips.
Chapter 8 Valuation Issues.
Property Division Issues.
Common Law versus Community Property.
Closely Held Business Valuation.
Stock Redemptions.
Partner Liquidations.
Stock Options.
Rattiner’s Planning Tips.
Chapter 9 Redesigning Your Personal Financial Plan after the Divorce.
The Personal Financial Process.
The New and Improved Game of Life: Executive Summary.
Designing the Personal Financial Plan.
The Personal Financial Planning Disciplines.
Rattiner’s Financial Planning Tips Checklist.
Chapter 10 Afterward: The 25 Steps to Future Success.
Recap.
Financial Planning Responsibilities That Need to Be Followed Up.
Other Critical Issues That Need Your Follow-up.
Rattiner’s Planning Tips.
Chapter 11 Planning for Same-Sex Couple Divorces: Issues Specific to These Couples.
Domestic Partnership Agreement/Cohabitation Agreement.
Last Will and Testament.
Rattiner’s Planning Tips.
Appendix: Charts and Forms.
About the Author.
Index.
