An Accountancy Corporation
Background Greg and Jodie Mohler were married on September 12, 1998, and separated on July 2, 2011. Petitioner (Jodie) filed a Petition of Dissolution on January 25, 2012. Greg filed his response on April 9, 2012. Their trial did not take place until November 15, 2017. Jodie’s Proposed Statement of Decision identified several disputes. Among…
Part 2 In part one, I provided the background of the appeal case of Dorothy (“DeeDee”) and Joseph (“Joe”) Ciprari that dealt with the most contested portion of the case, the tracing issue. On appeal, DeeDee attacked the detailed tracing analysis performed by me, on which the trial court relied. Here in part two, I…
In re the Marriage of Dorothy and Joseph CiprariCourt of Appeal Decision Related to Forensic Accounting Part 1 Dorothy (“DeeDee”) and Joseph (“Joe”) fixed their date of separation as August 13, 2010, the date DeeDee commenced the marital dissolution proceeding. The marriage terminated pursuant to a judgment entered March 18, 2016, which attached the court’s…
The most crucial change established under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA) related to family law went into effect on January 1, 2019. Previously, under section 215 of the tax code, paying spouses could deduct their alimony payments from their taxable income while recipient spouses were required to pay taxes on the…
We recently conducted a survey at the 2018 LA County Bar Association Annual Family Law Symposium. This was a continuation of a survey we performed at the 2016 event. Thirty-four attorneys participated in the study. Those we interviewed averaged 18 years practicing family law. Usage of forensic accountants by the interviewees during the span of…
From the time I began working for Ron J. Anfuso CPA/ABV, An Accountancy Corporation, Ron stressed the importance of his accountants performing tax returns. Having now completed several hundred returns, many of which involve substantial assets and major tax complications, I have come to realize that having up-to-date knowledge of both forensic accounting and the…
By Ron J. Anfuso, CPA, ABV, CFF, CDFA, FABFA Historically, families’ living expenses have been used to determine a spouse’s marital standard of living (MSOL). Although this is typically the chosen method, it can be time consuming and expensive. One issue a judge must determine is the most appropriate time period to utilize in calculating…
Tracing usually becomes an issue when community and separate property funds have been commingled in the same account(s) and then an asset is purchased with funds from that account. The mere commingling of separate property moneys in a community bank account does not destroy the separate property character of the funds, so long as they…
There is indeed a missing component in the divorce process. Although not always required, it is a service that can actually increase clients’ level of satisfaction with their Family Law attorney. To have a clear picture of one’s own financial outlook five, 10 or even 20 years down the road can serve as a blessing…
Case Background Melvin and Maureen Collins were married for thirty-five years. In 2005, the couple separated and subsequently divorced. Melvin, who was the sole breadwinner, has been employed as a professor of economics at a prestigious Orange County university. During their marriage, Maureen was a stay-at-home mom. Their divorce settlement included a monthly spousal support…