Lots of married couples in the Kansas City area from all walks of life own a house in common. Many times, these houses are not only an important financial investment but also a place associated with lots of memories and strong emotions. For these and other reasons, who gets to keep the martial residence is often a topic of contention in a divorce or legal separation on either side of the Missouri River. Some people may even go in to the property division process determined to do whatever they legally can to remain in the marital home and become sole owner [...]

It might be surprising how many Kansas City residents, even those who live in typical suburbs in the area and hold ordinary jobs, engage in offshore banking. Contrary to what one might have gathered in the movie and in reading about the tax schemes of some unscrupulous wealthy people, offshore accounts are not illegal. In general, a person is free to put their money in the financial institution of a foreign country and may well have lots of legitimate reasons for doing so. However, when it comes to property division in a divorce or formal separation, offshore accounts do present some important legal [...]

When a Kansas City resident has a piece of property, like a favorite chair or an heirloom china set, he or she might say that the property has sentimental value to him or her. The term sentimental value means that, while the property might not be worth much to the general public, it has a great deal of worth to the owner. Sentimental value is what value an individual, usually the owner of the property, puts on a piece of property and is almost always higher than what the property is worth to an average person. It is usually based [...]