By: Christina Pashou, Esq. At the time of marriage, Massachusetts law allows a person to adopt any last name. If you want to resume your former last name pursuant to your divorce, you will have to request the court to grant you a formal name change when you file the Joint Petition for Divorce (if it…
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Avoiding Tax Consequences When Dividing Retirement Accounts
By: Christina Pashou, Esq. Division of assets during divorce may also include the division of tax-sheltered retirement accounts (IRA’s, and 401K’s) and pensions. While many have concerns that the transfer of retirement funds pursuant to a divorce will result in taxes and penalties being incurred upon division of the accounts, if the account is divided…
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A Cheap Online Divorce: Easy Fix or Dangerous Pick?
[caption id="attachment_4783" align="aligncenter" width="604"] An cheap online divorce may lead to an unfavorable outcome.[/caption] by: Julia Rodgers Most of us are willing and excited to spend thousands of dollars, and months of preparation on a wedding. We devote hours upon hours to scrupulous planning in anticipation of the "big day." Quite the opposite happens when…
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The Power of a Trust in Divorce
by: Christina Pashou, Esq. The Massachusetts case of Pfannenstiehl v. Pfannenstiehl could have lead to a court decision that would have negatively impacted the estate planning goals of families who wish to protect trust assets in divorce cases. In 2015, the Massachusetts Appeals Court ruled that a portion of a trust created by the parents…
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