I want to provide potential clients and friends with a Wisconsin Divorce Issues Checklist which provides insight into factors the court will consider in approving a final Wisconsin divorce settlement:
- Dissolution of marriage by divorce, legal separation or annulment
- Custody and placement of minor children, including day-to-day activities, day care, transportation responsibilities, holidays, vacations, etc.
- Removal of children from jurisdiction
- Child Support, including any deviation from child support guidelines and variable expenses
- Life insurance
- Automatic wage assignment for health insurance, child support, maintenance or family support
- Health insurance on minor children
- Uninsured medical expenses for minor children
- Private school tuition for children
- Health insurance on the parties
- Real property: marital residence, second home, commercial property, time shares, other real estate (transfer of deed, refinancing, sale)
- Marital expenses associated with real estate
- Retirement plans (401k, IRA, TSA, pension plans, including federal or military pensions) QDROs
- Businesses
- Bank accounts
- Investments
- Stock options
- Premarital or nonmarital assets
- Premarital or nonmarital debts
- Premarital agreement/postnuptial agreement
- Spousal support
- Pets
- Personal property division — vehicles, recreational vehicles, campers, airplanes, collections, furniture, electronics, tools, household goods, etc.
- Exchange date for personal property
- Division of marital debt
- Property settlement
- Tax consequences of property transfer, if any
- Life insurance to fund unpaid spousal support
- Sums owed under temporary order
- Tax exemptions for minor children, head of household and child care credit claims
- IRS Form 8332, to claim children as dependents
- Filing status for tax returns for last/current year
- Restoration of former name
- Attorneys fees
- Personal injury settlement proceeds
- And more
You want to make sure that all income, assets and liabilities are addressed in your final Marital Settlement Agreement. If you have questions, ask your Wisconsin divorce lawyer before the divorce is finalized, not after when it may be too late.
