Divorce Party Pad - Jason & Joy

Late on 2+ years of filings. Jason is owed refunds (not owing). Accountant retained. Filing ASAP. Will provide access via shared disclosure folder, not ad-hoc email requests.

Demands full access to 2023-2025 returns, drafts, and supporting documents.

Lateness creates leverage for Joy. Filing removes this pressure point. Refund claims have filing deadlines.

Reject $17K transfer without budget, terms, or documentation. Propose capped car plan: Jeep sale proceeds + capped split of remainder. Need to see actual numbers before committing.

Trade Jeep → buy two used EVs for the girls (~$10K out of pocket). OR Jason transfers $17K so Joy buys Julia's car. Julia getting license April 2026.

Julia's license April 2026 creates some timeline pressure on this item.

Agree to separation in principle but with guardrails. Do NOT divide business funds informally — needs formal structure. Her income paid directly to her is reasonable IF tied to formal comp structure, not verbal agreement.

Separate finances now. Divide joint funds (including business funds) equally. Her income paid directly to her.

Currently sharing one money pot (business + personal commingled). Separating without structure risks creating informal precedents.

Acquired pre-marriage in Jason's name. Separate property — not community. ~$281K equity. Should be excluded from community property division.

Not yet stated.

Acquired pre-marriage in Jason's name. ~$281k equity. Confirm separate property status.

Not before summer 2027 (Mia's graduation). Immediate sale prices Jason out of Marin, destabilizes kids' access. House is 20 years old, needs significant prep work. Jason working 14+ hrs/day — no bandwidth for repairs/showings. Acceptable paths: deferred sale post-graduation, buyout feasibility gate (appraisal + refi by date X, list by date Y if infeasible), rent-back if earlier sale. Capital gains claim ($90K) needs CPA verification — divorce occupancy rules may preserve exclusion.

List by May 1, 2026. Sell by end of 2026. Claims ~$90K capital gains hit if sold after May 2027 or divorce finalizes before sale (loss of $250K married filing joint exclusion). Argued at hearing that no kids live at Jason's house, therefore sell.

Community property with ~$1.17M equity. Options: sell & split, one buys out the other, or other arrangement.

Reject 60/40 new-client split — nonstandard, no industry basis (standard is ~40% cap, Bergman-style). Reject 'employee by email' — needs formal legal documentation. Interim comp tied to defined gross profit, paid after invoices collected. Expenses must be tied to revenue structure, not a blank check. Verify SOS/FTB standing for both entities.

Pre-2025 book: 50/50 net split. New clients (Jan 2026+): 60/40 (Joy gets 60%). Other reps' revenue: all to Jason. Jason pays all BrandFuse expenses. Joy's split deposited to her own account. Joy becomes 'employee' of BrandFuse.

S-Corp owned equally by both parties with Jason as sole shareholder. Need to determine buyout, sale, or continued co-ownership structure.

Verify SOS active status and FTB standing first. Do not divide business entities informally. Need formal structure.

Not yet specifically addressed separately from BrandFuse.

LLC owned equally by both parties with Jason as sole shareholder. Need to determine buyout, sale, or continued co-ownership structure.