Navigating A 离婚 During COVID-19

Authored By: 简·奥克斯曼·罗尼, CPA, CFP®, CDFA® 和 Jordan P. Egert, CPA, CFE, CDFA®

COVID-19 is likely to be with us for many months to come. The p和emic has created new uncertainties 和 financial stressors. 考虑过分手的夫妇可能不愿意增加压力和不确定性 从离婚开始然而,继续过着不幸福的生活可能是夫妻们不愿意接受的选择.

无论你是现在开始离婚程序还是等待,你都需要考虑一些因素和步骤,以促进更有效的程序,并消除一些不确定性.

你现在可以采取的步骤

双方可能会同意,现在不是承担第二个家庭的额外费用和离婚程序费用的时候, 特别是在就业不确定性和经纪和退休账户波动的情况下. 请记住,就业和股票市场从来都不是完全安全的,了解紧急情况是离婚财务规划的一部分. Many people are not spending 在 COVID-19 as much as they normally spend. 这是一个重新评估你的“需要”和“想要”的好时机,并为你未来的支出需求制定一个现实的预算. 你可能会发现你的财务状况比你想象的要好,有相当数量的可自由支配的支出,这让你有能力在不确定的时期控制和管理你的现金流. 除了, 如果你比平时花得少,你可能会存钱,建立储备,或者偿还昂贵的信用卡债务.

If you’d like assistance with your divorce, please reach out to us.

婚姻住房和退休账户通常是离婚时要分割的最大资产,支付未来住房的能力是离婚配偶最重要的问题之一. 疫情期间,各缔约方可能不愿搬迁,但可能对未来的住房市场感到担忧. 房地产经纪人报告说,一手房和度假屋的库存仍然很低,对有限供应的需求保持稳定. Some mortgage 感兴趣 rates were recently at an all-time low, making a home purchase more attainable 和 affordable for many homebuyers. While employment is consistent 和 steady, a purchaser is in a better position to qualify for a new mortgage. 请记住,如果未来房价下跌,未来购买的一方可能会从较低的房价中受益. 为了做出关于住房的重要决定,有很多信息需要收集和考虑. 双方在考虑他们的婚姻决定时积极主动地收集信息是很有好处的.

While staying-at-home it is a good time to get financial documents organized 和 copied. Common documents needed include tax returns for the past five years, 当前的银行, brokerage 和 retirement account statements, credit card statements for the past two years, 生活, 残疾和长期护理保险政策和遗产规划文件,如遗嘱, 信托协议, powers of attorney 和 medical directives. 你的财务记录越完整,你的离婚程序就越有效.

不确定性

COVID-19病毒的蔓延带来了人们早已忽视的担忧. We must remember though that while COVID-19 has changed the way we operate business, 我们的工作, 和 our lives – the economic 和 financial impact are not entirely unfamiliar. Going back to the Great Depression of 1929 to today, 我们看到,每个时期都遵循类似的模式,包括失业率的上升, declines in gross domestic product, 和 other related financial emergencies. What we often overlook is historically, 每一次衰退, comes a recovery (which may be a short or 长期 one). 当我们只看这些具体的时间点时,它会引起波动范围的很大程度的冲突, especially when we are in the midst of a crisis. Our financial lives are not specific to one point in time though, rather an accumulation. 因此, 而不是因为这些具体的问题而感到担忧,我们可以通过考虑一种也关注中期的方法来帮助解决我们对不确定性的担忧, 长期, 以及整体思考.

When a marital estate holds several asset classes such as houses, 现金, 经纪公司资产, 退休账户, 和 even business 感兴趣s then there is inherent risk 和 uncertainty. The way we address these uncertainties comes in two parts: 1. 确定你的目标. Analyzing the impact your financial decision has on them. It is important we do not make knee jerk reactions simply based only on asset values today.

例如, a $500,000美元的房子和500美元的支票,000退休帐户持有相同的账面内在美元价值(不包括税务考虑). However, they hold far different financial 和 even emotional uncertainty values. 在更深入的研究中,我们可以问自己并确定每种资产的警告,这样做可能会免除我们对不确定性的大部分担忧. 我们可能会问:

  • How far away from retirement am I – is this enough time for the asset to reappreciate?
  • 我会住在房子里吗? 卖掉房子? Turn the house into rental property?
  • Can I afford to maintain the house?
  • 是否有额外的资产可供我使用,以防止先发制人地使用退休资产和/或进入房屋净值信贷额度?
  • What are my financial goals this year, in five years, in ten years, in twenty years …. ?

One area we want to highlight are investment accounts. 我们中的许多人目前认为,围绕这些资产的不确定性增加了,我们对未来会带来什么感到担忧. 我们想让你注意的是,不要简单地看你的账户或资产价值,因为这样做只会增加你的压力. 我们必须从整体上看待这项资产,并评估它的其他组成部分,包括股息, 感兴趣, 资本利得分配有助于权衡资产的波动性和对你的意义. 很有可能,即使资产价值本身下降了,这些额外的组成部分也没有实质性的变化(例如某些固定收益资产和股息增加的证券)。. 通过直接利用这些组成部分,投资甚至可能证明对短期流动性问题是有价值的, 而不是再投资. As a side note – there is no guarantee in 生活, 天下没有免费的午餐, 没有快速致富的计划,但即使在当前的不确定性中,人们也可以找到安慰——自1927年以来,美国股市的年平均回报率为10%&标准普尔500指数).

Hopefully at this point you are catching the gist, uncertainty is not a dreadful concept! 而, it provokes better strategy 和 planning consideration for one’s goals 和 notions before, 在, 离婚之后. 毫无疑问,我们生活在一个非常不确定的时代,这些时代将在未来重演. From an economic 和 financial st和point, 然而, they are no different than the bumps in the road of years past. We cannot address divorce 和 separation matters simply by taking a here 和 now approach. Instead we must have a holistic mindset, one that involves mid to 长期 reflections, 注意事项, 和方法.

If you’d like assistance with your divorce, please reach out to us.

委员,葡京会手机app下载 & 老葡京手机app(老葡京手机app) is a professional services firm delivering tax, 会计和商业咨询专业知识遍及大西洋中部地区的办事处 马里兰州贝塞斯达 和 华盛顿特区.   


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