New Mexico is a community property state. Community property is everything a husband and wife acquired during marriage. This typically includes all money earned, debts incurred and property acquired during the marriage. Under community property, …
What To Do if You Lose Your Job and are Paying Child Support
When you lose your job, your child support order doesn’t just go away. You still owe the unpaid amount in arrears, which can’t be discharged in bankruptcy and usually can’t be reduced retroactively. The court …
When Does Child Support End
Emancipation is the point at which a minor comes of age. Child support is typically paid until the child reaches the age of emancipation, which is usually 18 years old. Courts can in their discretion …
How Are Child Support Expenses Divided
In this day and age, the costs of raising a child can run quite high, especially considering rising educational and health care costs, just to name a few factors. Below are some common expenses that …
Child Support and Visitation
Many parents are confused about child support and visitation. Under the law, the two issues are actually separate, and parents need to recognize the distinctions between them. Whether you’re a non-custodial parent or the primary …
Do Gifts Count as Child Support
When there is no working agreement between ex-spouses or the individual provides money outside of the court judgment for child support, it is often taken as a gift rather than alternatives to spousal or child …
What to do When a Child is Removed from the State
It’s not uncommon for divorced or unmarried parents to live in different states, although it typically makes co-parenting more challenging, especially in a joint custody situation. It’s also important to understand that a child custody …
Defining Alimony and How it is Determined
The term alimony payment refers to a periodic pre-determined sum awarded to a spouse or former spouse following a separation or divorce. The payment is the actual sum paid to fulfill alimony, which is the …
Common Financial Mistakes to Avoid in a Divorce
Separation or divorce is a time when both of you should reduce your spending and make an effort to live within your individual means. For instance, if you’re not working, can you really afford the …
Collaborative Divorce
Collaborative divorce is often touted as the peaceful way to get divorced, but many couples that attempt collaborative divorce are making bad business decisions. At the end of the day, a marriage is a domestic …