Divorce comes with a unique set of emotional struggles and financial risks. When a divorce in Colorado involves substantial assets and high-net-worth the risks are even greater. If you have a complex or sizeable estate, it is vital that your legal guide is experienced and equipped to take you to the top of your personal mountain. Your attorney must be prepared to protect your interests, understanding the multifaceted nature of your situation and all of the potential implications.

Issues to consider with High Asset Divorce:

Characterization & Valuation of Assets:

Before division and protection of assets can be determined, property must be characterized and valued. In high-net-worth divorces, this can be complex, with the consideration of real estate, retirement accounts, stocks, bank accounts, business assets, and more. This must be handled methodically and accurately.

Business Assets:

In many high asset Colorado divorces, business interests are a key component of the estate. Business assets may come in the form of ownership, shares, partnership or another type of business interest. This is an important sub-category, in terms of characterization and valuation, where it will be essential to ensure the wealth is accurately valued.

The video below explains business valuations in a Colorado divorce.

Consulting with Experts:

In determining value of assets for property division purposes, your attorney must be prepared to consult with a multitude of experts. Our law firm has an extensive network of experts with whom we regularly consult. These experts include real estate appraisers, intellectual property specialists, pension evaluators, business valuation experts, tax specialists, and more.

Taxes:

It will be critical for your family law attorney to pay careful attention to tax issues when advocating for you in your Colorado high asset divorce case. Property distribution, spousal maintenance, and child support may substantially influence tax payments. It is important to understand how payment structures may impact things and how to adjust the structure appropriately to promote and protect your best interests.

Privacy & Confidentiality:

When substantial wealth is involved, people often get particularly concerned about privacy and confidentiality. We respect your right to privacy and will always maintain confidentiality to the degree it is legally possible. We frequently work with private judges, arbitrators or other alternatives to the public judicial system for our high asset divorces.

Click here to learn more about the process of using a private judge or engaging in divorce arbitration.

Assets Overseas:

If any part of your estate is located in another state or country, it adds another layer of complexity. Your attorney must be prepared to look critically and in-depth at what this means, potential tax implications or penalties, and how it factors in to division of assets.

Spousal Maintenance & Child Support:

These are often a significant and contentious issues which must be negotiated skillfully. We recognize the multiple factors that may influence these issues and we are prepared to litigate appropriately for your individual situation.

Other Issues Involved in a High Asset Divorce

If there are kids involved, the court will have to address the allocation of parental responsibilities/custody.

To learn more about how child custody is decided in Colorado, watch the video below:

More Information

The following pages are useful to consider when considering a Colorado high asset divorce.

• Property Division
• Private Businesses in a Divorce
• Attacking and Defending Premarital Agreements
• Social Media & Cyber Security in a Divorce
• Divorce Mediation & Litigation
• Divorce Frequently Asked Questions
• Your Initial Divorce Consultation

For more information on divorce visit the Kalamaya | Goscha Blog.

Kalamaya | Goscha’s High Asset Divorce Team

Kalamaya | Goscha regularly deals with Colorado divorces involving marital estates in excess of $10 million. We often work with experts in high asset divorces such as CPAs and financial advisors to find, characterize, value and obtain the best results for our clients. To see our divorce attorneys, click here.