Texas Family Law Attorney Shares Tips for Managing Finances During and After Divorce

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If you are divorcing, you may wonder how you will be able to afford to take this much-needed step towards personal freedom. Divorce does cost money, but it is important that you do not put it off or even worse give up on it out of fear that you cannot afford it. The following tips can help you secure your finances before, during and after your divorce.

When divorcing spouses maintain a focus on agreement, they save money. Divorce is not easy, but the notion that cooperation can cut costs can be a powerful motivator to set conflict aside. One way in which agreement can reduce the financial burden of divorce is in the area of legal fees. It is important that each spouse retains his or her own attorney, but the amount of work that your attorney has to do on your behalf is directly connected to the amount that you will end up paying them. If you and your soon to be former spouse are approaching your attorneys with drafts of a divorce agreement that you have worked on together, you will not spend as much on legal fees as you would if you are fighting with each other through your attorneys about who should get which assets and what your parenting plan should look like, if you have children.

In reality, not all divorces can be resolved amicably. Fortunately, you can keep your costs down regardless of the level of conflict in your divorce. Knowing the details of your personal and household finances is one of these strategies. You can gather information about your debt and any marital debts that you and your spouse have, and you can do some research and find out what your household expenses are as well as what you might expect to pay to establish a new home for yourself.

Making financially wise decisions during your divorce can reduce not only the up-front costs of divorce but also the long-term costs. Divorce is an emotional process, but it is essential for your financial well-being that you do your best to address your emotional needs – through counseling, talking with supportive friends or whatever works for you – and make financial decisions from a purely practical frame of mind. For example, you may have to work through your feelings about your marital home before you can do an honest and sufficiently detailed calculation to determine whether it makes sense to try to keep it on either a short-term or a long-term basis.

As you and your soon to be former spouse work through your divorce, see whether the two of you can agree on whether to sell any items to make more cash available to pay off debts or divide amongst each other. There are laws that govern marital property, so you must check with your attorneys before selling anything because an improper sale is illegal. Selling items requires consulting with your attorney, but you are free to reduce your personal expenses by eliminating unnecessary spending, starting your new household with only the bare minimum of utilities and looking for ways to save money on one-time and recurring costs.

While you work to build a strong financial future for yourself, a Texas Family Law Attorney can help you pursue an outcome in your divorce that will meet your current and future needs. To learn more, please contact attorney Alex Tyra at (903) 753-7499 to arrange a consultation, or visit us online and submit a convenient online contact form.

Texas Family Law Attorney Discusses How to Talk to Children about Divorce

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There’s no doubt about it – thinking about talking to your kids about divorce can bring up many different emotions. You might fear that you will damage your beloved children by divorcing, or by making a mistake when you have the dreaded conversation. You might be angry that you are getting divorced and resentful that you even have to have the divorce talk with your kids at all. It’s possible that you are sad, anxious, or any other feeling or combination of feelings as well. Despite all of that, though, once you and your soon to be former spouse have decided for certain that you are divorcing, it is time for you to plan for this crucial conversation together, and for delivering the news together, as a united front.

Introducing your children to the fact that you and their other parent are divorcing is a serious subject and must be handled with the utmost care. It’s time to set aside your differences for the time being and work together to decide when the conversation will take place, map out who will say what, and agree on ground rules for creating a calm and reassuring tone during “the talk”. When planning a time to talk, be sure to allow for as much time as you will need, including plenty of time for questions – because there will be lots of those.

When you plan out what you are going to say, it is important to be truthful without placing blame or bringing negativity to the table. For example, instead of saying that you are divorcing because one of you has been unfaithful, you can say that your relationship is not working out. Be sure to include plenty of reassurance that each of you loves each of your children and that you always will, because even though you might think that is obvious, it is not always visible to children, and you can’t say it too many times. Reassuring children that it is not their fault is also important. You know your kids best, and it may be helpful to think of some things to include in the conversation that will speak to each of them about things that are most important to them. This might mean talking about whether they’ll be remaining in the same school, talking about having two homes, discussing spending time with each parent, talking about spending time with friends, or anything else that you know the feel strongly about.

When it’s time to sit down with the kids and have the conversation, stick to your plan and create a gentle and reassuring tone for the discussion. Keep your conversation simple, age-appropriate, and relevant to your children’s lives, be sure to ask them whether they have any questions afterward, and answer questions as honestly as you can without being negative or disrespectful. By following the aforementioned suggestions, you can use this challenging conversation to set the stage for healthy relationships between each of you and your children as well as a cooperative and healthy co-parenting relationship between the two of you.

Texas Family Law Attorney Alex Tyra – Your Texas Divorce Attorney

Get answers to your questions about Texas divorce today – call Texas Family Law Attorney Alex Tyra at (903) 753-7499.

Texas Family Law Attorney Discusses the Impact of Divorce on Children

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Divorcing parents are likely to have heard many things about how their divorce is likely to affect their children, and not all of those things are good. Perhaps well-meaning friends or family members have shared their opinions about the topic. Maybe your spouse has weighed in on the issue, especially if they do not want to get a divorce. Wherever the negative information is coming from, you need to hear the other side of the story and it goes like this: each child is affected differently by divorce, and not all effects of divorce on children are negative. If ending your marriage is the right choice for and your spouse, there is a good chance that your kids will benefit from the split, especially if the two of you handle it (and them) with the utmost care and respect.

Both parents and children experience a range of emotions during the divorce process. While the age of a child and the relationship between that child and each of his or her parents do shape the child’s experience of the divorce, there are other factors that influence it as well. For example, sibling bonds can become stronger. This strengthening of the sibling relationship has been documented in many different types of divorce scenarios, including the typical situation where the children all travel between their parents’ homes together. However, it also occurs in sibling groups where the children are not always all together in the same place at the same time.

Another possible effect of your divorce on your kids is relief. This is especially so in situations where the marriage has been strained for some time. Children sense tension, and even when parents take great care to argue out of earshot of the children and otherwise conceal the divide between them, the kids are often aware that all is not well in the home. When parents separate, there may still be some tension, but it will be significantly reduced and will continue to decline as time passes since the divorce. As the amount of tension between parents decreases, so will the children’s experience with it.

Divorce can also show children resilience and problem-solving in action. The attitudes and actions of you and your spouse are a major factor in your children’s overall experience with your divorce. When the two of you work together to, for example, figure out how to earn enough money to support two households, your children will see how you were able to solve that problem by working together to find a solution that works for the family as a whole. Likewise, if your children hear the two of you communicating with each other in a respectful way, they will see that people who disagree can treat each other with kindness and respect.

As you can see, divorce does not have to be a negative experience for children. Parents can continue to maintain loving and supportive relationships with each of their children throughout and after their divorce. Divorcing parents can take comfort in knowing that they have the power to shape their children’s experience of divorce for the better by making positive choices about how they approach their divorce and their interactions with their soon to be former spouse.

Texas Family Law Attorney Alex Tyra – The Ally You Need for Your Texas Divorce

Get answers to your questions about Texas divorce today – call Texas Family Law Attorney Alex Tyra at (903) 753-7499.

Texas Family Law Attorney Discusses the Mathematics of Divorce

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Many people view divorce as an emotional process first and a practical process second. It is not unusual that people think about it in that way because divorce is, at its simplest, undoing something which two people did because of the feelings that they had for one another. It is important that divorcing couples remember that there is also a practical, mathematical side to divorce. In fact, it is the mathematical information that you will explore during the divorce process – the information that you will see regarding property, assets, and even parenting time – that you can readily use to assess what your options for settling your divorce.

When people get divorced, they are likely to have ideas about what they would like to accomplish as a result other than ending their marriage. These ideas are usually connected to numbers. For example, it is possible that you know what percentage of parenting time would be ideal for you. Also, you may know which items of personal property you would most like to have, as well as what the values of those items are. It is a good thing to think about your divorce in terms of numbers like these because you’ll need that information to determine how the things that you most want could fit into a fair distribution of the marital estate. It is possible to take the numbers that are related to the property and parenting situations of you and your spouse and combine them in many different ways. This good, because it increases the possibility that the two of you will agree on one of those possible combinations and be able to turn it into a divorce settlement instead of going to trial.

I realize that it can be difficult to see past all of the emotions to see the numbers related to your divorce for what they are. For example, you may have a strong attachment to your marital home, and you may want to pursue a settlement that would keep you in that home. Unfortunately, it is possible that given the numbers associated with your particular situation, buying out your spouse’s share of the home would not be a wise financial decision. If you discover this, look at the numbers again and see whether it might be better if you sell the house and split the proceeds. If that does not appeal to both of you, know that there are many different ways in which couples can choose to dispose of their homes. Likewise, parenting time agreements are as unique and varied as the couples who create them, and they contain all kinds of different percentages that work for the families who abide by them.

When you look at the numbers in your Texas divorce, you can get a sense of how a proposed settlement could affect your life now and into the future. We understand that it can sometimes be difficult to acknowledge the numbers that you see in terms of what they mean regarding the outcome that you want. However, it is often less difficult to do that than it is to deal with the long-term fallout of accepting a proposed property settlement or parenting agreement that does not serve your best interests.

Texas Family Law Attorney Alex Tyra – Support for Your Texas Divorce

Learn more about Texas divorce today – call Texas Family Law Attorney Alex Tyra at (903) 753-7499 to learn more about your legal rights and options.

Texas Family Law Attorney Discusses the Mathematics of Divorce

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Many people view divorce as an emotional process first and a practical process second. It is not unusual that people think about it in that way because divorce is, at its simplest, undoing something which two people did because of the feelings that they had for one another. It is important that divorcing couples remember that there is also a practical, mathematical side to divorce. In fact, it is the mathematical information that you will explore during the divorce process – the information that you will see regarding property, assets, and even parenting time – that you can readily use to assess what your options for settling your divorce.

When people get divorced, they are likely to have ideas about what they would like to accomplish as a result other than ending their marriage. These ideas are usually connected to numbers. For example, it is possible that you know what percentage of parenting time would be ideal for you. Also, you may know which items of personal property you would most like to have, as well as what the values of those items are. It is a good thing to think about your divorce in terms of numbers like these because you’ll need that information to determine how the things that you most want could fit into a fair distribution of the marital estate. It is possible to take the numbers that are related to the property and parenting situations of you and your spouse and combine them in many different ways. This good, because it increases the possibility that the two of you will agree on one of those possible combinations and be able to turn it into a divorce settlement instead of going to trial.

I realize that it can be difficult to see past all of the emotions to see the numbers related to your divorce for what they are. For example, you may have a strong attachment to your marital home, and you may want to pursue a settlement that would keep you in that home. Unfortunately, it is possible that given the numbers associated with your particular situation, buying out your spouse’s share of the home would not be a wise financial decision. If you discover this, look at the numbers again and see whether it might be better if you sell the house and split the proceeds. If that does not appeal to both of you, know that there are many different ways in which couples can choose to dispose of their homes. Likewise, parenting time agreements are as unique and varied as the couples who create them, and they contain all kinds of different percentages that work for the families who abide by them.

When you look at the numbers in your Texas divorce, you can get a sense of how a proposed settlement could affect your life now and into the future. We understand that it can sometimes be difficult to acknowledge the numbers that you see in terms of what they mean regarding the outcome that you want. However, it is often less difficult to do that than it is to deal with the long-term fallout of accepting a proposed property settlement or parenting agreement that does not serve your best interests.

Texas Family Law Attorney Alex Tyra – Support for Your Texas Divorce

Learn more about Texas divorce today – call Texas Family Law Attorney Alex Tyra at (903) 753-7499 to learn more about your legal rights and options.

Texas Family Law Attorney Offers Back to School Tips for Divorce Clients

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The start of a new school year brings up a wide variety of feelings for both children and their parents. When a family is navigating a divorce, there are even more feelings and practical concerns that must be acknowledged to ensure a smooth transition from summertime to the academic year for children and parents. Divorcing families may find the following information helpful as they begin the school year:

It is often the case that any routines that a family has in place at the beginning of a summer slip out of the picture by the time that it is time to return to school. The start of the school year is a crucial time to reestablish routines because a lot of things happen in the family’s life each day. Routines provide a blueprint for navigating all of those things. Divorcing parents often find that when they have similar routines in their separate households, the entire family thrives. Whether the two of you communicate well or not, the subject of household and school day routines is something that if you make an effort to work together, everyone’s life will run more smoothly, and each of you will be better able to focus on enjoying your children and supporting them in school and life. At the most basic level, compare notes on household routines and make sure that they are similar enough that they do not clash. They do not have to be the same, but, for example, if there is screen time after dinner in one household but not in the other, there is potential for conflict which could be avoided by simply having routines that are more similar. Also, be sure that the kids know what to expect from each parent (and what each parent expects of them) on school days and weekends.

Whether your children are attending the same school that they were last year or a different school, it is important for each parent to be familiar with each child’s school and their new teachers. Teachers are best able to serve the children in their classrooms when they know both the child and their parents. They also benefit from knowing basic information about what has been going on lately in your family. If you are the parent who has primary legal rights and responsibilities for your children, make sure that your children’s school, teachers, doctors, coaches, and anyone else that your kids spend time with knows that they are to share information about your children freely with your children’s other parent. It is the right thing to do, and it will also save you the work of having to make copies, send messages, and make phone calls to share the information yourself. Also, it is important that parents understand that most children wish that both parents could be there to see them perform, play sports, or do whatever it is that they are doing at the event. This does not mean that the two of you have to sit together, but consider making an agreement with your children’s other parent that both of you can attend all of their school events.

Texas Family Law Attorney Alex Tyra – Divorce Support for Texas Families

Learn more about Texas divorce today – call Texas Family Law Attorney Alex Tyra at (903) 753-7499.

Texas Family Law Attorney Offers Back to School Tips for Divorce Clients

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The start of a new school year brings up a wide variety of feelings for both children and their parents. When a family is navigating a divorce, there are even more feelings and practical concerns that must be acknowledged to ensure a smooth transition from summertime to the academic year for children and parents. Divorcing families may find the following information helpful as they begin the school year:

It is often the case that any routines that a family has in place at the beginning of a summer slip out of the picture by the time that it is time to return to school. The start of the school year is a crucial time to reestablish routines because a lot of things happen in the family’s life each day. Routines provide a blueprint for navigating all of those things. Divorcing parents often find that when they have similar routines in their separate households, the entire family thrives. Whether the two of you communicate well or not, the subject of household and school day routines is something that if you make an effort to work together, everyone’s life will run more smoothly, and each of you will be better able to focus on enjoying your children and supporting them in school and life. At the most basic level, compare notes on household routines and make sure that they are similar enough that they do not clash. They do not have to be the same, but, for example, if there is screen time after dinner in one household but not in the other, there is potential for conflict which could be avoided by simply having routines that are more similar. Also, be sure that the kids know what to expect from each parent (and what each parent expects of them) on school days and weekends.

Whether your children are attending the same school that they were last year or a different school, it is important for each parent to be familiar with each child’s school and their new teachers. Teachers are best able to serve the children in their classrooms when they know both the child and their parents. They also benefit from knowing basic information about what has been going on lately in your family. If you are the parent who has primary legal rights and responsibilities for your children, make sure that your children’s school, teachers, doctors, coaches, and anyone else that your kids spend time with knows that they are to share information about your children freely with your children’s other parent. It is the right thing to do, and it will also save you the work of having to make copies, send messages, and make phone calls to share the information yourself. Also, it is important that parents understand that most children wish that both parents could be there to see them perform, play sports, or do whatever it is that they are doing at the event. This does not mean that the two of you have to sit together, but consider making an agreement with your children’s other parent that both of you can attend all of their school events.

Texas Family Law Attorney Alex Tyra – Divorce Support for Texas Families

Learn more about Texas divorce today – call Texas Family Law Attorney Alex Tyra at (903) 753-7499.

Texas Family Law Attorney Says Reasonable Expectations are Helpful for Divorce Clients

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Did you know that the expectations that you have regarding your divorce have the potential to either leave you open to the possibility of pleasant surprises throughout the process or leave you feeling dissatisfied most or all of the time? As with many things in life, in divorce, the expectations that you have will shape your experience. If you keep this in mind, you may be able to keep your expectations realistic, or even avoid having any expectations at all regarding certain things. The following examples provide a look at some aspects of divorce cases where your expectations could help or harm you.

Timing is a moving target when it comes to divorce cases. While it is possible for an attorney to provide an estimate of how long your divorce case is likely to take, committing this estimate to your memory as an expectation of when your divorce will be final can be problematic. It is understandable to want to plan ahead as you move your life forward. However, if you expect your case to be complete by a certain date and that date comes and goes before your case is over, you may experience frustration and disappointment. If instead, you take the estimate that you have, and you double it, there is a chance that you might resolve your case within that time frame. It may even be finalized earlier, which could leave you feeling rather satisfied. Divorce cases involve many different people, courts and attorneys have schedules and case loads, and clients often need time to think through many different decisions throughout the process. When you think of a divorce case in this way, you can see how all of those moving pieces can affect the timing of the outcome, and how it will benefit you to keep a flexible mindset about when your case will be complete.

Expectations about the cost of your divorce can also cause trouble. Whether you run into trouble because the household budget that you created so carefully is not working with how things are going for you or unexpected issues have come up that will increase the amount of work that your attorney will be doing on your behalf, you may encounter some surprises. If you received an estimate of how much your divorce is likely to cost, it might be helpful to double that and then be pleasantly surprised if it costs less, instead of expecting that the estimate was the final word on cost and feeling upset each time an unexpected expense arises.

When it comes to expecting a particular outcome for your divorce case, it is a good idea to know what you want to get out of your divorce. It is also good to know which things mean the most to you and which have more room for discussion and debate. The only thing that you can reasonably expect regarding an outcome is that you are not likely to get everything that you would have liked to. However, it is reasonable to think that you will resolve your case in a way that helps you retain most of what is most important to you and accomplishes some of what you would like. Approaching divorce with reasonable expectations helps you to be flexible and make the best decisions that you can make during the divorce process.

Texas Family Law Attorney Alex Tyra – The Knowledge and Support that You Need Now

Learn more about Texas divorce today – call Texas Family Law Attorney Alex Tyra at (903) 753-7499.

Texas Divorce Attorney Explains The Difficulty Of Military Divorces

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Military divorces are particularly difficult, especially when children are involved. Deciding what is in the children’s’ best interest is a complicated and emotionally charged decision. Add to the calculus that the military member could go overseas and you have a seemingly insurmountable decision to make. Additionally, a military member’s spouse is entitled to a percentage of the military member’s pension accumulated during the marriage. The formula used for calculating the exact award is cumbersome and frequently misunderstood. The award is designed to evenly and fairly divide the pension between the spouses. However, the parties and the judges can easily make a mistake in the calculations.  Although representing yourself in a divorce seems like a good idea because you can save money on attorney’s fees, you may wind up losing more in the long run. An experienced Texas divorce attorney like the Texas divorce attorneys from The Law Office Of Alex Tyra will make sure that you get what you deserve whether you are the military member or their spouse.

Military families face incredible stress and strain. Deployments, combat, injuries, and psychological problems such as post-traumatic stress disorder from combat service all contribute to military families falling apart. Even the strongest family ties succumb to the strains military like causes. Lifestyle demands of military families often mean one spouse gets shipped around and the other stays at home with the kids. Staying home with the kids can mean passing on work or educational advances. Divorce can leave that spouse in a difficult position financially. Deployment means the entire responsibility for child rearing and care falls on the spouse left behind. The non-military spouse will need greater child support payments to help care for the family.

Deployments hurt the military member as well. Deployments essentially prevent the military member from seeking full custody of their children because the best interests of the children may be better served by living with the non-military spouse. This issue is an important consideration for reservists and members of the National Guard as well. Members of those services are activated and deployed regularly. The potential for activation and deployment is a serious and significant consideration for a family court judge when ruling on custody. A seasoned divorce attorney will guide you through this difficult process.

Finances are an enormous consideration. The everyday financial worries do not stop simply because the parties are divorcing. Allowance must be made for child-care, vehicle costs,  housing costs, educational costs, and extra-curricular activities even before the divorce is final. You should rely on a divorce attorney to fight to protect your rights so you can provide for your family.

An attorney will also help sort out the difficulties surrounding splitting a military pension. A military member gets a lifetime pension after 20 years of service. Texas courts use a mathematical formula to determine the amount of pension the parties are due.  The formula is not terribly complicated but can be misinterpreted, leading to unfair results. The pension payout is negotiable, just like other marital assets. Spouses can negotiate a lower pension payout in exchange for another asset like equity in the marital home or pay off a vehicle loan.  Consideration must be given to the military survivor benefit plan as well. Pension payments cease when the military member dies. The spouse can negotiate payment into this insurance plan to cover their finances should their spouse die before them.

Consult An Experienced Advocate

Call the experienced and compassionate Texas Divorce Attorney of the Law Office Of Alex Tyra. They will fight for you and your family to make certain you get what you deserve and protect you and your family. Call the Law Office of Alex Tyra today at 903-753-7499 to get the representation you need.

Texas Family Law Attorney Discusses the Role of Financial Professionals in Divorce Cases

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Have you ever thought about just how complicated personal finances can be? Since personal finances can be complicated, it makes sense that when two people marry, their financial picture becomes even more complex. Each spouse still has his or her personal finances and personal financial history, and then there are the couple’s joint or household finances. When one or both spouses own businesses and other diverse types of assets, either together separately, there is a chance that the couple’s financial situation is highly complex.

When a couple has a complicated financial situation, both spouses stand to benefit from bringing a financial planner and an accountant into the mix of people that they consult with during their divorce case. In the past, few couples used the services of financial professionals during their divorce cases because many of their financial situations involved relatively simple questions of how to divide income, debts, and tangible assets like the family home and the spouses’ cars. In today’s society, things are more complicated. More families have two working spouses, and many more people own businesses. The rising cost of college has made college savings plans a popular class of assets, and there are more ways for people to invest money than ever before. These are just some of the reasons why more and more couples are consulting with financial professionals in addition to consulting with attorneys during their Texas divorce cases.

Since financial professionals understand how the various assets that a couple has work, they can help the spouses come up with ideas about how they could divide them equitably. They also know how to accurately assess the values of various types of assets, which is essential to being able to distribute them equitably. Sometimes it makes sense to split an asset in two. At other times, it is best for one spouse to take an asset and the other to take another asset of comparable value. Some assets require specific procedures to be followed to successfully split or transfer them. Financial professionals know all of the ins and outs of transferring, splitting, and otherwise dealing with financial assets, and they can advise spouses on what their bigger financial picture would look like, such as tax consequences, if they divide their assets in certain ways. All of this information can help spouses work through the question of how to divide their assets equitably.

Financial professionals can also help divorcing spouses make the transition from their joint financial lives to their single financial lives. They do this by helping them develop budgets to address their current day to day financial needs and financial plans that meet their future financial needs.

In some cases, financial experts may be able to offer valuable assistance if it appears as though one spouse has been hiding money. They can often review personal and business books and records and find out where the money is.

Texas Family Law Attorney Alex Tyra – A Strong Advocate in Your Texas Divorce

If you are divorcing in Texas, you could benefit from the assistance of an experienced family law attorney. You may even benefit from enlisting the aid of one or more financial professionals. To learn more about your Texas divorce, call Texas Family Law Attorney Alex Tyra today, at (903) 753-7499.