Portland Divorce Asset Division
The Details Make the Difference: What Matthew House Will Do for You
After giving you multiple options to handle each asset as you prefer, Matthew's multi-disciplinary training as a divorce mediator, Family Law Financial Analyst, and parenting plan expert will allow you to see each asset from three perspectives: law, finance, and family.
Law and Procedure
Matthew will:
- Review documents and information that will confirm important details and allow you to make well-informed decisions
- Determine whether it is fully the separate property of one person, fully a marital asset, or a hybrid asset, if it is in dispute
- Explain any relevant laws or regulations that could expand or limit the scope of your options
- Alert you to dates and deadlines, if any, that could affect the valuation or disposition, as well as the likely time that it will take to implement your preferred stipulations after the divorce is finalized
- Inform you of changes that you need to make to the ownership structure, beneficiary designations, or survivorship provisions to complete your preferred divison
- Indicate what insurance you may need to acquire or change
- Suggest stipulations to include in your Marital Settlement Agreement to ensure cooperation between the two of you, as needed, during the post-mediation and post-divorce periods
- Draw upon his knowledge of the overlap of several areas of law to provide pro tips and help you avoid consequential pitfalls
- Ensure that you understand the steps, if any, that you must take after the divorce is final to execute the chosen disposition
- Draft your MSA with law-trained precision to ensure proper word choice to cause the intended outcome
Finance
Matthew will:
- Share the financial advantages and disadvantages of each option
- Check to see what debts or other costs -- even subtle ones -- might affect the value or limit the options in divorce
- Explore how, if at all, the property could be a source of income -- or, if it is already a source of income, considering how that income or loss of income will affect each party
- Inform you as to the options you have for determining the estimated value of the property
- Factor in all of the reductions to the estimated value to arrive at the real "divorce value," known as the Net Distributable Value, of the property, so that you do not overvalue or undervalue the property and cause an unintended advantage or disadvantage for either party
- Identify tax consequences or potential tax issues
- Predict short-term and long-term ramifications of each option
- Draft the Marital Settlement Agreement in view of the above concerns to minimize negative effects and promote positive outcomes for both parties
Family
Matthew will:
- Point out the potential impact of each decision on the short-term and long-term impact on each member of the family
- Ensure that all of your concerns about the stability and peaceful functioning of your family post-divorce are given all the attention that you require
- Suggest family-focused nuances in the Marital Settlement Agreement concerning each asset, if appropriate
What Is Considered an Asset in an Oregon Divorce?
Any asset can be addressed in mediation and included in a Marital Settlement Agreement (MSA), including, but not limited to:
Real Property
Bank Accounts
Retirement Accounts
College Savings Accounts
Vehicles and Household Goods
Tax-Advantaged Savings Accounts: HSA/FSA/DCAP
Stocks and Stock Options
Whole Life Insurance
Savings Bonds
Annuities
Businesses
Cryptocurrency and Other Digital Assets
Next Steps
Schedule a 90-minute in-person or Zoom introduction (first hour is always FREE)
or a 30-minute free "meet-and-greet" as soon as you're ready to begin mediation.
or a 30-minute free "meet-and-greet" as soon as you're ready to begin mediation.