Tag Archive for: College Funding

California Divorce Myths

Everyone has a friend or family member who has been divorced. Many will have heard horror stories or received tips about what they should do or what they should expect. I have heard “Mom always gets the kids” and “I earned the pension so it’s mine” People also make up there own expectations like “I made all the money, so I’ll get all the assets” or “I’ll get half of everything”. Here is a list of the top 11 Divorce Financial Planning Myths that come to my mind.

 

1. “I made all the money, so I’ll get the assets”
2. “Dad has to pay for college”
3. “Mom always gets the kids”
4. “Child support will take care of us”
5. “My spouse charged up the credit cards- they are not my debts”
6. “I’ll always get spousal support”
7. “We have small kids, so Mom gets the house”
8. “I earned the pension so it is mine”
9. “The courts will take care of me”
10. “I’ll get half of everything”
11. “We have no fault divorce in California so it must be easy”

Planning for Post Divorce College Funding and Taxes

2009 and 2010 bring a slew of changes to the structure of tax credits and deductions in the Federal Income Tax system. Today I would like to draw attention to the American Opportunity Tax Credit. The American Opportunity Credit expanded and renamed the Hope Credit for tax years 2009 and 2010. The expanded credit increases the total available credit to $2,500 per year for the first four years of post secondary education. This is an increase of $700 over the old Hope Credit. The Hope Credit was also only applicable to the first two years of school. Adding $700 per year and an additional two years to eligibility make the new credit worth up to an additional Read more