BVSource (Business and Financial Issues in Divorce)

Blazer: Double Dip Still Moribund in California

Brian Vertz — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 16:04:34 +0000

Last year I had the privilege of attending the BVR/Morningstar Summit on Best Practices in Business Valuation in Divorce, which will be held this month in Chicago. Unfortunately I have to miss it this year as I will be visiting my new niece in San Diego. They will be discussing the latest developments in business [...]

Brian Vertz Named To “Best Lawyers 2011″

Brian Vertz — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 17:52:24 +0000

My firm PBKG LLC is proud to announce that five of our partners (David Pollock, Todd Begg, Candice Komar, Dan Glasser and Brian Vertz) have been named to the 2011 edition of The Best Lawyers in America. Since its inception in 1983, Best Lawyers has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence. [...]

Alimony Tax Gross-Up Approved

Brian Vertz — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 03:06:44 +0000

In Balicki v. Balicki, 2010 PA Super. 134 (July 30, 2010), the Superior Court considered the husband’s argument that the alimony order provided more income to his ex-wife than she could spend (as shown by her budgetary expenses). The trial court in its opinion justified the alimony award by noting that the wife would pay [...]

Top Five Things to Do if You Are Separating

Brian Vertz — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 16:25:22 +0000

[This is a re-post of a popular article that I wrote and published a year ago on this site. ~BCV] It’s never easy to take the first step on any journey. When you are facing a marital separation, there are five things that you can do to protect yourself, financially and emotionally. 1. Secure your [...]

Massachusetts Authorizes Post-Nuptial Agreements

Brian Vertz — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 02:23:26 +0000

The Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts ruled recently that agreements between spouses who plan to continue their marriage but wish to define their legal rights and obligations in the event of divorce are enforceable in that state. Some states (notably Ohio) do not permit spouses to execute agreements waiving their marital rights unless they are [...]

Facebook Cheating

Brian Vertz — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 14:25:41 +0000

News stories were posted today on CNN.com and VanityFair.com claiming that a growing number of people are using Facebook to cheat on their spouses…. and getting caught! Divorce lawyers have discovered that many careless cheaters leave obvious evidence of their infidelity on social networking sites, where anyone can find it. In fact, a site called [...]

Kids and summer jobs: Some tax reminders

Brian Vertz — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 20:46:56 +0000

My friends at Crawford Ellenbogen LLC know a lot about taxes. One of their principals, Victor Dozzi CPA, recently sent me a great tip about kids who are earning income from summer jobs, and I asked him if I could share it with you. He agreed, so here it is: Are your children working at [...]

Exclusive Possession of Marital Residence

Brian Vertz — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 15:36:26 +0000

A thorny issue that arises early in many divorce proceedings is the question of who may live in the marital residence during the separation period. Generally speaking, the courts will not evict either spouse from the marital residence during separation if they are living together peacefully and have not voluntarily moved away. This principle leads some [...]

International Child Support and Custody Disputes

Brian Vertz — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 15:35:32 +0000

An article in the ABA Journal this month focuses attention on the growing problem of international child support and custody disputes. With the advent of global travel and internet relationships, more and more parents are facing the challenge of enforcing child support and custody orders across national boundaries. Some parents describe experiences that sound like scenes from a [...]

How is Marital Property Different from Community Property?

Brian Vertz — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 14:11:42 +0000

In Pennsylvania, marital property is divided in a process known as equitable distribution. The method prescribed by the Divorce Code is a “dual classification” equitable distribution scheme because marital property is distinguished from nonmarital or separate property (terms which are used interchangeably). In other jurisdictions governed by an “all-property” equitable distribution scheme, the divorce courts [...]