Tag: new york divorce attorney

How Divorce Affects Your Children’s College Education

by David Badanes | February 18, 2021

One of many issues that need to be resolved in a divorce with children, is the issue of college.  Here is what you need to know about how college expenses in a divorce.

Who gets to pick the college the child attends? 

It is very rare for a divorce agreement to specify exactly which college the child will attend.  However, there are agreements that will state that the child has to at least apply to College X and in other agreements that the child has to apply to at least one State University of New York college or university.  In virtually all cases, the child will get to choose which college he/she wants to attend.  If one of the parents disputes that choice, then they will have a heavy burden to show why that particular college is not right for the child.

Who pays for college?

Your divorce agreement should contain the terms and conditions on how much each parent will need to pay for college.  If your divorce agreement is silent on this issue, then one parent may be able to go back to Court to have the other parent pay part or perhaps even all of the college expenses.

If, the Court has to decide who pays for college, then there are a few factors the Court will consider in making that decision.  In simple terms, if you or your spouse attended college, then most likely, the Court will make the parents pay for the child’s college education.  Also, if the child has other attributes that makes the child a good candidate for college, then the Court will also most likely make the parents pay for the child’s college education.

How much do I have to pay for college?

In addition to deciding who has to pay for college, your divorce agreement should specify how much each parent will have to pay for college. Typically, there will be an upper limit to how much each parent has to pay.  In most agreements, the parties will agree that the most they have to pay is what it would cost for the child to attend a SUNY school.

If there was no agreement, then the Court will decide how much each parent has to pay.  In that instance, it is likely that Court will make each parent pay their pro-rata share of the child’s college expenses.

What about college tours?

These days, it is common for parents and their children to go on several tours of different colleges.  Whether or not you go on a college tour with your child, will be something you should be able to work out with your child.

If you are getting divorce, there are several issues you will need to address.  David Badanes and the Badanes Law Office has the experience to guide you through these issues. Contact David Badanes and the Badanes Law Office at 631-239-1702 or email at david@dbnylaw.com.

The Badanes Law Office has offices in Suffolk County (Northport) and in Nassau County (Uniondale, across from the Nassau Coliseum).

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In a Divorce, Should You File Your Taxes Jointly?

by David Badanes | March 11, 2019

If you are in the middle of a divorce and it is not finalized by December 31st, then you can still file a joint tax return. You are still considered “married” by the IRS if your Judgment of Divorce is not signed by December 31st. So, in some situations, all your divorce papers could be filed, prior to December 31st, but, if the Court (Judge) has not signed them, by the end of the year, you are still legally married.

In most situations, by filing a joint tax return, you will pay less in taxes than if you filed a separate tax return. Yet, there are some reasons why you might want to file a separate tax return, even if you are still legally married. As one example, if you believe your spouse is committing tax fraud, then it probably would be wise to file a separate tax return.

You always have the option to file a separate tax return during the period that you are still married. However, as stated above, you most likely will have to pay more in taxes compared to if you filed a joint tax return. This is because some tax deductions, credits, and other benefits are not available or are limited when you file separately.

So, in general terms, most likely you should file a joint tax return until your divorce is finalized. However, you should always consult with an accountant or tax attorney, before deciding whether or not to file a joint tax return or a separate tax return.

As with all areas of divorce, David Badanes explains the different tax consequences that occur in a divorce. If you are thinking of getting divorced, call David Badanes and the Badanes Law Office today at 631-239-1702 or contact us online.

Child Support Arrears Can Lead to a Driver’s License Suspension

by David Badanes | February 20, 2019

If you are in arrears in your child support payments, then you may face having your driver’s license suspended. In fact, if you are in arrears in your child support payments, then several other types of licenses can be suspended including:

  • Business licenses
  • Contractor licenses
  • Professional licenses (doctor, lawyer, accountant)
  • Occupational licenses
  • Boating licenses
  • Hunting licenses
  • Fishing licenses

In order for your licenses to be suspended or revoked, you would need to be at least four months in child support arrears. However, prior to having any license suspended or revoked, there needs to be a hearing. At that time, you would have the opportunity to either pay all your arrears or perhaps enter into a payment plan to pay your arrears.

It should also be noted, that if your driver’s license is suspended, you may be eligible to receive a restricted driver’s license that will allow you to only drive to and from your place of employment.

It is clear, that you should pay all your child support obligations. If you are in danger of falling behind in your child support payments, then you need to be proactive and contact an attorney to avoid having your licenses suspended.

If you need an attorney to help you with child support issues, then contact David Badanes and the Badanes Law Office, P.C. David Badanes and the Badanes Law Office’s phone number is 631-239-1702, email at david@dbnylaw.com or visit our web site: www.dbnylaw.com.

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Working Dads and Divorce

by David Badanes | February 11, 2019

If you are a working dad and facing a divorce, here is what you need to know to protect your rights.

  1. Keep working. If you quit your job, the court will not reduce your child support obligation. Furthermore, you will need the income.
  2. Open a new bank account. You will need access to your own funds. Although you will most likely need to keep paying the monthly expenses, you are permitted to open up your own new bank account.
  3. Reduce your expenses. Where possible, reduce your expenses and save what you can. You may soon be facing child support and maintenance payments that will strain your budget.
  4. During the divorce process — don’t move out of the house.
  5. Once the divorce is over, if you must relocate from the marital home, then you should find a place to live as close as possible to where your children will be living.
  6. Stay involved with your children.
  7. Make the most of your time with your children. This does not mean that you have to be a “Disneyland Dad”. Find activities that you both you and your children enjoy.
  8. Make a budget.

If you are a working dad, then divorce may be very difficult. David Badanes and the Badanes Law Office, P.C. have represented numerous working dads and helped them in their divorce.

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How Does a Divorce Effect Social Security Benefits?

by David Badanes | February 6, 2019

Social Security benefits are available to most American workers. For married couples, even if only one spouse is eligible for Social Security benefits, the other spouse may also receive benefits based on the marriage. When couple’s divorce, in order to collect Social Security benefits from your former spouse, you need to meet the following requirements:

  • Your marriage must have been for at least 10 years
  • You must be at least 62 years of age (at the time that you want to start collecting your benefits)
  • You need to remain unmarried — however, if you do re-marry, then you may still be able to receive benefits from your first spouse
  • Your own Social Security benefits must be less than the amount of benefits you would receive from your ex-spouse

If you do qualify for Social Security benefits, the benefits you receive do not reduce the amount of Social Security benefits paid to your former spouse. Therefore, getting divorced does not reduce your benefits, it only allows your former spouse to collect Social Security benefits as well.

You should also know, that if your ex-spouse qualifies for their Social Security benefits, but, has not applied for them, that you can still receive your Social Security benefits, based on that ex-spouse (provided that you have been divorced for at least two years).
Finally, it is important to know that Social Security benefits are subject to Federal Law and are not subject to change based on changes in New York law.

If you are contemplating divorce and you are close to being married for 10 years, you may want to delay filing for divorce until you are married for more than 10 years. This way you may be eligible to receive Social Security benefits from your former spouse.

If you are thinking of getting a divorce, you need an experienced Matrimonial and Divorce Attorney to guide you through the process. Call David Badanes and the Badanes Law Office today at 631-239-1702, email at david@dbnylaw.com or visit our web site: www.dbnylaw.com. The Badanes Law Office has offices in Northport and Uniondale.

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Stay at Home Moms and Divorce

by David Badanes | January 31, 2019

If you are a Stay At Home Mom and thinking of getting a divorce, or have been served with divorce papers, you need to know what your rights are.

You need to know that the courts will recognize your contribution as the caregiver for the children.

As a stay at home mom, while the divorce is in process you may be eligible for temporary child support and temporary spousal support.

Most likely your spouse will be required to pay some or most of your attorney fees.
Here are some other things you should know or do:

  • Keep a log (diary) of your daily and weekly caregiving duties with the children.
  • Determine what the monthly expenses are, including, the mortgage, utilities, car expenses
  • Determine how much support and money you will need after the divorce.
  • Open up your own bank account
  • Get a copy of the important financial documents

If you are a stay at home mom, you face specific challenges. David Badanes and the Badanes Law Office, P.C. have represented countless stay at moms and helped them in their divorce.

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What Cats Can Teach You About Divorce

by David Badanes | January 4, 2019

Yes, you read that right, cats can teach you something about divorce. As someone who has watched several cat videos, their behavior offers lessons for us humans on the divorce process. So, what can cats teach us:

  1. Cats don’t listen to other cats. Cats are not pack animals, they don’t blindly listen or follow what other cats do. When going through a divorce, your family and friends may give you lots of advice on how to handle your divorce. They may mean well, but, all too often their advice is not helpful. It is better to listen to your attorney’s advice.
  2. Cats can take care of themselves. Most cats are pretty independent and are good at taking care of themselves. In your divorce, you may need to learn how to take care of yourself.
  3. Cats are tough. If you have watched those cat videos, you are probably amazed at what cats can endure, and come out as if nothing happened to them. You will need to apply this advice in your divorce. A divorce can be very stressful and you may be faced with some difficult issues. Like a cat, you need to be tough and find a way to be successful, no matter what a divorce throws at you.
  4. Cats don’t need expensive jewelry or anything expensive. You buy a cat a cute little cat toy, and most likely it will play with the box it came in. Cats make do with what they have. So, in your divorce, you may be focused on what “things” you used to have, but, it may be better to focus on what is really important than on “things”.
  5. Cats will not tolerate bad behavior. Cat owners know that cats will not put up with crazy or annoying behavior. The same goes for your divorce. You may not be able to change your ex’s behavior, but, there is no need for you to tolerate it. If your ex’s actions are negatively affecting the children, you must take action.

You don’t have to love cats to know that they can teach you something about divorce. David Badanes and the Badanes Law Office recognize that a divorce is a stressful time, but, like a cat, will help you navigate the process. If you need a divorce attorney with cat-like reflexes, then call David Badanes and the Badanes Law Office. Contact David Badanes and the Badanes Law Office at 631-239-1702, email at david@dbnylaw.com or visit our website: www.dbnylaw.com. The Badanes Law Office has offices in Suffolk County (Northport) and in Nassau County.

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What a Billionaire’s Divorce Can Teach You

by David Badanes | January 2, 2019

You may not be a billionaire, but the laws apply equally to billionaires as it does for everyone else. Harry Macklowe and Linda Macklowe are billionaires, they are the owners or an impressive art collection that according to Mr. Macklowe’s expert, is worth $788 million dollars, but, according to Ms. Macklowe’s expert is worth $625 million dollars. This illustrates that when it comes to personal property (which is what an art collection is considered), that valuation can be difficult and can vary widely. The same principle applies to any personal property that you and your spouse may own and that you may be arguing over. You may say that your car is worth $20,000, while your spouse says it is worth $10,000. So, what will happen? Well, similar to the Macklowe’s divorce, there are a few choices that the Court can choose from.

The court could decide to:

  1. Sell the asset (here, the car, in the Macklowe divorce, some of the art collection).
  2. Retain a receiver to determine what to do with the asset. A receiver is a third party that is appointed by the Court. A receiver will get a fee for performing its services, and in some cases, their fee is based on the amount of money they can obtain from selling the asset. Typically, receivers are used to manage and sell real estate property, but, as with the Macklowe divorce, a receiver can also be used to sell personal property. In the Macklowe divorce, the receiver decided to sell some of the art and give some of it to each party.
  3. Give the asset to one party, and compensate the other party with cash. In my car example, the Court could decide to let you keep the car, but, then you would have to give 50% of your valuation to your spouse, so, you would have to give $10,000 to your spouse. This is why, you don’t want to overvalue your asset, if you do, you may end up giving more money to your spouse then what the property is really worth. However, you also don’t want to undervalue your asset, because the Court could also give the car to your spouse (who said it was worth only $10,000), in that case, your spouse would only have to give you $5,000 and that may be a lot less than what the car is really worth.
  4. Allow the parties some time to reach a settlement on how to distribute personal property. Typically, this is the best method for dividing up personal property. It allows you and your spouse control over the process, and typically, will result in none of the property being sold and with each party getting a fair share of the property.

So, although you may not own an art collection worth millions of dollars, it is likely that you do own personal property, which includes, as some examples: cars, furniture, tools, equipment, jewelry, and sports collections. In many instances, determining the value of the personal property can be difficult. Just as in the Macklowe divorce, the Court has a few choices on how to distribute that personal property. In most cases, the best course of action is to reach an agreement with your spouse on how to distribute the personal property.

David Badanes and the Badanes Law Office can help you with your divorce, including issues of dealing with personal property. David Badanes has helped numerous clients in their divorce cases. The Badanes Law Office handles all types of divorce cases, from the extremely complicated to simple uncontested divorces, and everything in-between.

If you are thinking of getting a divorce, or are thinking of hiring a new attorney for your divorce, then call David Badanes and the Badanes Law Office. Contact David Badanes and the Badanes Law Office at 631-239-1702, email at david@dbnylaw.com or visit our website: www.dbnylaw.com. The Badanes Law Office has offices in Suffolk County (Northport) and in Nassau County.

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Six Things A Woman Should Do in Preparation For A Divorce

by David Badanes | December 28, 2018

If you are a woman who is thinking of getting a divorce, believes their spouse will be filing for a divorce soon, or have just been served divorce papers, here are six steps you should take:

  1. Open up your own bank account: You will need to have funds that only you have access to. You should open up your own bank account (both checking and savings). It is also a good idea, to open up the new bank account at a different bank than the one you have with your spouse.
  2. Start Saving Money: Start putting money into the new bank account. If you are employed, then you may want to put your paycheck (or some of your paycheck) into the new bank account.
  3. Get Your Financial Documents: You will need to obtain a lot of different financial documents. For example, bank statements, retirement statements, mutual fund statements, and many more. Now is the time to start obtaining those records. You don’t have to get hard copies, as typically, your attorney will accept electronic copies.
  4. Get a New Accountant or Talk to the One You Have. In many divorces, you may want to obtain a new accountant. The time to start looking for one is now. Your new accountant can help you with your tax returns and maybe give you good financial advice. If you want to keep your existing accountant, you may want to talk to him/her and see what financial advice they can give you.
  5. Credit Cards: Make a list of your credit cards.
  6. Budget: Make a budget. Your financial status will be changing. You will need to know what your current expenses are, and what you believe your projected expenses will be.

If you are going thinking of getting a divorce, or have been served with divorce papers and need an attorney, contact David Badanes and the Badanes Law Office, P.C. David Badanes and the Badanes Law Office’s phone number is 631-239-1702, email at david@dbnylaw.com or visit our website: www.dbnylaw.com. The Badanes Law Office has offices in Northport and Uniondale.

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What To Do If Your Soon-To-Be-Ex or Ex-Spouse Slanders You On Social Media?

by David Badanes | December 26, 2018

Divorce can be an emotionally charged time, but venting about it on social media can get you in trouble and potentially lead you into court. During the divorce process and even after the divorce is over, your ex-spouse may post negative comments about you.

The number one rule in these situations: Do not retaliate against your soon-to-be-ex-spouse or your ex-spouse with your own post or try to rebut any of their posts.

If your ex-spouse posts something negative about you, what you should do is take a screenshot of the post, save it and send it to your attorney. Your attorney can then guide you on what the best course of action will be. That may consist of filing a lawsuit, writing to your ex-spouse’s attorney or some other action.

It is important to note, that not everything your ex-spouse posts or writes about you may be improper or illegal. For example, your ex-spouse may be able to post factually correct details about your divorce. Although this might be upsetting, it is probably not improper.

However, if your ex-spouse is clearly posting false information about you, then you may be able to take legal action against your ex-spouse. It is important that the statement must be entirely false and caused you some type of harm.

If you are in the middle of your divorce, any negative posts or statements should be given to your attorney, who then may show those posts to the Court (and to your spouse’s attorney). Although the post may not qualify as slander or defamation, it still may be useful to you in your divorce. Virtually every Court and every Judge will not want to see negative posts being stated about you, especially if there are children involved. Furthermore, if you are worried that your spouse will continue to post negative information about you, even after the divorce is final, you can ask your attorney to add protections into your settlement agreement.

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