SPREAD THE LOVE THIS VALENTINE’S DAY!
Make the Most of the Holiday
Valentine's Day is all about showing your dear ones extra love. But you don’t always have to focus on those close to you. Love can be shared with everyone — friends, coworkers, or the community! Here are some ways you and your family can spread the love this holiday. Make a homemade meal or some goodies. They always say a way to a person's heart is through their stomach! Everyone loves a warm, homemade meal, and it can be fun to get the entire family involved. Gather the ingredients of your favorite dish and make something tasty for your local fire or police department. These people work daily to keep us safe, and a simple gesture like this may bring a smile to their faces and remind them they are appreciated.
Also, kids love helping out in the kitchen, so consider baking homemade cookies — or getting the store-bought kind; we don't judge! Let the kids decorate them with festive Valentine's designs to bring to school for their classmates and teachers! Get crafty. Nothing is more special than a one-of-a-kind card. Grab some construction paper, markers, glitter, stickers — the works — and have the kids make Valentine's Day cards! You can work with various organizations to send letters to U.S. troops serving overseas, veteran hospitals, or nursing facilities that would enjoy receiving a handmade card. Fill them with positive words, smiley faces, hearts, and lots of love! You could even send their cards in a Valentine's Day-themed care
package. But be sure to follow the rules of the organizations you work with.
Volunteer or donate. Do you have any gently used clothing, shoes, blankets, or extra personal hygiene items? Make your way to the local Goodwill, church, or shelter that accepts donations. You could call around to see if any shelters or organizations need helping hands! This is also a great way to spread the love your kids can participate in. Check to see if they need help serving food or if you can prepare or drop off warm meals to those who need them most. You can find many ways to express love and kindness to those you love or complete strangers. No matter how you spend this day, remember to spread the love to everyone!
3 FINANCIAL MISTAKES TO AVOID DURING A DIVORCE
It’s common for there to be disputes about money and finances during a divorce. Sometimes, spouses will argue over income, marital property, homes, bank accounts, alimony, and child support. These are important things to consider when going through a divorce in California, but you should also be aware of common financial mistakes often made during the divorce process.
divorce process commences. This will keep your spending habits confidential and prevent financial mismanagement by your spouse. Forgetting About Your Debts You might be focused on your income and assets during your divorce, but you also need to consider any debt you have. Just as your assets are divided during a divorce, debt accrued during the marriage is also subject to division and allocation between two spouses. While everyone’s debt profile is different, you should consider credit card debt, mortgages, car or children’s education loans, and other private loans.
Here are three financial mistakes to avoid during your divorce.
could owe the federal and state government a substantial amount after your divorce is final, thus lowering your share of those assets. You can work with a knowledgeable accountant and your California lawyer to determine the value of assets, investments, and other marital property on an after-tax basis and present those numbers to your spouse. This will give you a better understanding of what you will receive in the divorce and can even throw some bargaining power in your favor.
Keeping Your Money in Shared Accounts You need a clean break from a former spouse. Couples often muddy the waters around their divorce by delaying the separation of bank accounts and credit cards. You don’t need to close down a shared account the day divorce papers are filed. A divorce lawyer in California may advise you to wait several days or weeks before clearing out an account, but you should open your own separate accounts once the
Ignoring How Taxes Will Impact Your California Divorce
One implication that won’t appear on the balance sheet or a list of investments is the impact of taxes on your divorce settlement. You
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