Attorney is giving away a free divorce to a lucky, unlucky couple

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There are car giveaways, money giveaways and now divorce giveaways? A local law firm wants to help a couple out by helping them split up for free.

Akiva Goldman is the attorney giving away a free divorce to a lucky, unlucky couple.

“People will call me up and say, my husband, is the biggest loser. He is a terrible guy. And I’ll say how long have you been married? And she’ll say was 18 years,” he said. “The healing begins right here.”

So that is why attorney, Akiva Goldman, is giving away a free divorce to a deserving person.

“The pandemic hopefully it’s coming to an end and this is what we do for the community,” Goldman said.

Basically, one lucky winner will be chosen for the free divorce. To enter the contest - answer this simple question, why do I need a free divorce?

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But, beware– attorney Goldman is a pretty tough judge, as he reads some early entries. And make sure you’re clear on exactly what you want when talking to a divorce lawyer.

Attorney Akiva Goldman

And make sure you have a good reason for your divorce.

So you still have a chance, Goldman said he will review entries for the next 90 days. If you think you have a good case for a free divorce, go to divorcegiveaway@gmail.com

My fiancé and I met with a divorce lawyer before our wedding. These were our 5 biggest takeaways.

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My fiancé and I met with a divorce attorney before our wedding. Jen Glantz for Insider

After my fiancé and I got engaged, we set up a meeting with a divorce attorney to get legal advice before our wedding.

She pointed out that it’s essential for couples to understand marital property laws and their fiduciary duties once they’re married.

Engaged couples who are considering a prenup should draft the agreement collaboratively.

It’s important to have a conversation about kids before getting married.

Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.

Immediately after getting engaged, I had a panic attack.

I’d been dating my fiancé for over three years and even though I knew him well and loved him dearly, I worried about how our relationship would change.

You can’t walk into marriage without paying attention to the most popular statistic surrounding it: Around half of married couples in the US will get divorced, according to the American Psychological Association.

That lingered in my brain as I began to choose a wedding venue, draft a guest list, and pick out items for our registry. It haunted me so much that one night, after being engaged for five months, I sat my fiancé down and told him how I felt.

At first, he didn’t even want to humor the conversation. But the more I brought it up (at least twice a day for a week) the more he agreed that meeting with a divorce lawyer would be a good idea.

That way, we’d be better equipped to walk into a legally binding relationship without any surprises.

We chatted with Jennifer Hargrave, a divorce attorney and managing partner at Hargrave Family Law, about the main things engaged couples need to know before tying the knot.

Here were our five biggest takeaways:

Couples should have an understanding of their state’s marital property laws

Marital property laws vary from state to state, jacoblund/ iStock

I had no idea that once you get married, any assets you or your spouse acquire or earn during the marriage become marital property.

“All of your funds and assets, retirement funds and savings account, all come into play and it’s considered part of marital estate and is subject to be divided,” Hargrave said.

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Marital property laws vary from state to state, so it’s important to look into how your finances and assets will blend after your marriage becomes official.

If there are assets you want to keep just to yourself, then you might want to consider a prenup or postnup to make sure they’re protected in the case of a future divorce.

Married couples owe each other fiduciary duties

Hargrave also taught us about fiduciary duties, which are the legal obligations spouses owe each other, namely honesty and good faith.

“Couples owe each other fiduciary duties - this means, you should not be lying, cheating, or stealing from your spouse,” she said. “Hiding spending on extramarital activities, such as gambling or paramours, is - in most states as far as I know - a big ’no no.'”

She continued, “But also, this might mean not giving big gifts to family members (like loans you know will never be repaid), or engaging in risky investment opportunities.”

When you fail to abide by honesty and good faith, the other party may bring a claim for “breach of fiduciary duty” in divorce.

Before getting married, partners should have a conversation about privacy

Although my partner and I have never had arguments or disagreements around privacy, it was worth discussing how we feel about certain issues, like giving each other access to our business financial accounts and looking at each other’s phones.

“You do not have the right to snoop around on your spouse’s password-protected accounts. That being said, you might want to talk about how you will address privacy, and your expectations for transparency in your relationship,” Hargrave said.

She added, “Doing things like installing spyware, keylogger tracker, or tracking devices can be criminal.”

Have a serious conversation about children early on

Not having a conversation about potential children could cause problems later. New Africa/Shutterstock

Hargrave made it clear that couples also need to have conversations about subjects that don’t apply to their present-day lives.

Big topics - like whether you want to have children - can become relationship shakers in the future if you don’t get on the same page before getting married.

“Are you going to have kids? It’s important to know that both parents have a duty to support their children - it’s not uncommon for parents to divide and conquer those duties, with one parent taking on more of the financial responsibilities, and another parent taking on more of the childcare responsibilities,” she said.

“It’s good to have a general idea before you tie the knot, exactly what your expectations are regarding children and responsibilities,” she added.

Not having conversations about these potential life-changers could lead to a lot of stress and tears later on in the relationship.

Consider drafting a prenuptial agreement - the right way

Before getting engaged, I never considered getting a prenup, but I also didn’t know much about it. The word carries such a negative connotation and seemed like something only wealthy people got.

But after chatting with Hargrave, I realized it can be a nice way to lay everything out on the table and have a plan in place in case the relationship ever ends.

“If you all are considering a prenup, you need to carefully consider the process you choose for doing the prenup,” she said. “Most of the time, one partner will go hire a lawyer, have the lawyer draft a standard prenup, that prenup is handed to the other partner who is told to get a lawyer and review it.”

She explained that the better way to prepare a prenup is to do it collaboratively.

“Do it where you both have an opportunity to talk about what your goals and interests are with regard to the marriage, and the prenup, and then together to make decisions about how you will handle property issues upon death and divorce,” Hargrave said.

She continued, “Couples come out of this process feeling heard and loved, and that is a much better way to start a marriage.”

It sounds dramatic, but meeting with a divorce lawyer before our wedding was actually eye-opening

Meeting with the lawyer was actually very beneficial. Jen Glantz for Insider

Meeting with a divorce lawyer before getting married helped us understand how our relationship, money, and lives will change after we sign on the dotted line of our marriage license.

It also opened the door for us to have serious and important conversations we’d never have known to have.

In the end, it’s something we recommend other couples do. You might have to explore some awkward topics around money, privacy, and assets, but I think it’s better to get those out of the way before walking down the aisle.

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Dear Moneyist,

I’m 62 years of age, I have stopped working and I am currently receiving Social Security. My ex-husband is intending to file a joint tax return, and told me straight out that he does not intend to give me any of our joint tax return, because he said that I am no longer working. What can I do about this? I was discarded after 40 years of marriage.

He also tried to keep my $600, but I was ready for him. I persuaded him to pay for a washer and dryer and I managed to get my $1,200 stimulus by the skin of my teeth. I took the $1,200 out while divorce proceedings were occurring and I still had bank access. (He got angry, but I still managed to get the better of him.)

The Moneyist: ‘I feel like she has joined some abusive cult’: My wife makes $25,000 and only gets 1.5% annual pay raises. What can I do?

Last year, while we were still married, he filed our joint return electronically against my wishes and without me knowing, and deposited the tax return in his bank account. Our divorce was finalized last November, so I no longer have access to his bank account.

Do I have any legal right to the return? Can he file a return without my consent, and with no signature? How do I get the IRS to recognize me as a separate person for any stimulus that comes my way in 2021? I assume the IRS will use my 2020 tax return? I got a five-figure settlement from him in our divorce instead of alimony. Do I have to file taxes on the settlement?

Discarded After 40 Years

Want to read more? Follow Quentin Fottrell on Twitter and read more of his columns here.

Dear Discarded,

You have asked me a lot of questions, and I will endeavor to answer them. Before I do, however, I want to offer two pieces of advice: Firstly, file a 2020 return. Secondly, hire an accountant to go over your finances. It can be a difficult transition when someone else — namely, your ex-husband — has been taking care of the finances and filing your tax returns.

Thirdly, it’s time to cut the emotional and fiscal connection to your ex. If you don’t want him to file joint returns, don’t hit him up for money for a washer and dryer. Your divorce has been finalized. That’s as good a time as any to not depend on him for anything. Any time he does you a favor, even if it’s something he owes you, it complicates your newfound freedom.

The Moneyist: My ex-husband put his wife on his life-insurance before he died, going against our divorce. Now she’s battling me in court

As for the IRS, you can verify your identity with the agency here. The phone lines are open, but customer-service support is limited at this time. You can select your state for the Taxpayer Advocate Service here, and report fraud here. It’s possible to file a joint tax return when you are still going through a divorce, but he should have sought your signature to do so.

Is your divorce settlement taxable? Such questions are best answered by your divorce attorney prior to your divorce to minimize your tax liability. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act eliminated deductions for alimony payments. Whether or not divorce settlements are taxable can depend on how they are structured; read more on that here.

The time has come to take matters into your own hands: Contact the IRS, file a tax return, talk to an accountant, circle back with your attorney, stop playing games of cat and mouse with your husband over stimulus checks and washers and dryers, and warn him that it is illegal to file a joint return without your consent. Tell him you will take action if he does.

You can email The Moneyist with any financial and ethical questions related to coronavirus at qfottrell@marketwatch.com.