We often hear from clients that the reason they are still in a bad marriage is "for the kids". While the logic is understandable, the reality is that this is actually much worse for everyone involved, Especially the kids!
STAYING FOR THE KIDS?
The Howell v. Howell decision
On Monday, May 17th, 2017, The United State Supreme Court ruled on the case Howell v. Howell, a case RPM Law has been following closely, and wrote about earlier (here).
Matt featured in national news article on Military Divorce
The Supreme Court decided the case we previously wrote about here (http://www.matthewrandlelaw.com/.../military-retirement-divor...)
Double Dipping - Military Retirement Pay and VA Disability Pay
Most people who served or are/were married to someone who served, have heard that you either draw Military Retirement Benefit or VA Disability Compensation. The basic principal behind this is that you cannot double-dip from both money pots. As such, especially in light of the fact that someone can "waive" their Military Retirement(which is taxable) and get VA Disability(not taxable) instead, to get a couple extra dollars, most people choose the tax-free VA money as soon as it is an option.
Military Retirement Division in Arizona Divorces
If you or your spouse are a retired service member that is divorced or divorcing, I have some news for you: in Arizona, the benefits that are received for military retirement can, and likely will be divided, in part, between you and your (soon-to-be) former spouse. That is because Arizona is a Community Property State, which in a nutshell means that any property interest acquired by either spouse during the time of the marriage belongs to both people and at divorce can be split in half.
