196. Divorce Questions Answered: Alimony, Custody, Community Property, GALs. Avoid Major Mistakes.
How Not To Suck At Divorce · Morgan Stogsdill and Andrea Rappaport
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Show Notes
Real answers to the financial, parenting, and legal questions keeping you up at night.
If you’re going through a divorce, chances are you’ve asked yourself at least one of these questions:
Who keeps the house?
Do I have to pay alimony?
What happens if my ex won’t cooperate?
How does a GAL affect custody?
What counts as marital property after separation?
In this episode of How Not to Suck at Divorce, Andrea and Morgan answer real divorce questions submitted by members of their private community. From community property and spousal support to 50/50 parenting schedules, marital settlement agreements, home sales, custody concerns, and separation, this episode covers the kinds of issues that keep people up at night during divorce.
This is an honest, practical, and empowering conversation designed to help you think more strategically, ask better questions, and make smarter decisions during the divorce process.
In this episode, we discuss:
- What happens to business assets and property in divorce
- Whether keeping finances separate during marriage really protects an asset
- What to know about community property vs. separate property
- How alimony, maintenance, or spousal support may be determined
- Whether a salary increase can affect alimony
- What to include in a divorce agreement if your ex may stop paying support
- How to think about custody, 50/50 parenting schedules, and parenting plan logistics
- What a GAL (guardian ad litem) does in a divorce or custody case
- How to present concerns about the other parent without sounding reactive
- Whether a spouse who moved out still has to help pay bills, utilities, or repairs
- What happens when an ex refuses to cooperate with the sale of the marital home
- Whether retirement assets can be used to buy out a spouse’s share of the house
- Why having the right strategy with your attorney can save money and stress
Key takeaways from this divorce Q&A
Divorce is rarely just about one issue. It is often a mix of legal questions, emotional stress, parenting concerns, and financial uncertainty all happening at once.
In this episode, Morgan explains why it is so important to be proactive, not reactive during divorce. Whether you are dealing with custody, alimony, property division, a difficult ex, or a confusing settlement agreement, the more informed and prepared you are, the better decisions you can make.
Andrea also shares an important reminder for anyone deep in divorce stress: sometimes you do not need to blow up your life or make a dramatic change. Sometimes you just need a break, a reset, and a strategy.
If you’re struggling with divorce right now…
This episode is for you if you are:
- feeling overwhelmed by the divorce process
- worried about making the wrong financial decision
- confused about custody or parenting issues
- dealing with an uncooperative ex
- unsure what questions to ask your lawyer
- trying to figure out what is actually worth fighting for
Because divorce is not one-size-fits-all. And sometimes the biggest source of anxiety is simply not having enough information.
Mentioned in this episode
- Our Family Wizard – a co-parenting communication app often respected by courts
- The How Not to Suck at Divorce private community
- The upcoming Divorce Crash Course, including guidance on how to communicate more effectively with your attorney
About How Not to Suck at Divorce
If you’re going through a divorce or thinking about divorce, this podcast is here to help you avoid major divorce mistakes and move through the process with more clarity, confidence, and support.
Hosted by Morgan Stogsdill, head of family law at the largest family law firm in the country, and Andrea Rappaport, comedian and marketing expert, How Not to Suck at Divorce combines legal insight, real-life perspective, and humor to help make divorce feel a little less overwhelming.
Our Divorce Crash Course was designed to hold your hand through the process and help you avoid major and expensive mistakes. Learn more here: https://www.hownottosuckatdivorce.com/divorce-crash-course
Our Family Wizard is another fantasitc resource for those who need help navigating the "fun" world of coparenting. Head to this landing page to see how we work closely with them to support our listeners! http://www.ourfamilywizard.com/notsuck
Friends, slide into our dms, we love love love hearing from you. We are always here to listen and help in any way we can. You've got this and we've got you.
Instagram: @hownotosuckatdivorce
Follow Andrea: @theandrearappaport
Follow Morgan: @divorceattorneychicago
Mentioned in this episode:
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