You thought you understood your family’s finances. Then, while reviewing bank statements during your divorce, you notice unfamiliar transfers or an account your spouse never mentioned. Suddenly, you’re questioning what else might be missing. Suspecting hidden assets in divorce can make an already difficult separation feel like a financial guessing game.
If you are divorcing after years of building a life in Valencia or elsewhere in the Santa Clarita Valley, one number can feel enormous: 10 years. If you are asking, How long do you have to be married to get alimony, California has no minimum marriage length for requesting support. But if your marriage lasted at least 10 years, the court generally retains authority over spousal support indefinitely. That does not mean your former spouse will receive payments for life.
Losing your job in Valencia while paying spousal support can quickly strain your finances. Or perhaps you receive support, but your former spouse’s income has increased while your expenses keep rising. If you’re asking, When does spousal support end in California, the answer depends on your existing order and what has changed since it was issued.
You married in Valencia expecting to build a future together. Months later, you discover your spouse concealed something fundamental about the marriage. Now you wonder if divorce is your only option or if the marriage can be declared invalid.
You spent years building a contracting company in Valencia, investing long hours and personal savings to keep it running. Now you’re divorcing, and your spouse claims half. Or maybe you’ve helped grow your spouse’s business and worry you’ll leave the marriage without your fair share.
For business owners and their spouses, business valuation in divorce determines the company’s value and how much of that value belongs to the marital estate.
At Barnholtz & Kugler, we help Santa Clarita Valley families address these financial questions while considering what happens to the business after the divorce.