9 articles
A home in Ridgway, Colorado
· Characterization When Separate Property Becomes Marital in a Colorado Divorce

Colorado recognizes only four kinds of separate property, and a spouse can give any of them to the marriage with a deed, an account form, or a check. How the presumption works, what the case law says about rebutting it, and why separate does not mean protected.…

The Frederic C. Hamilton Building at the Denver Art Museum
· Property Division Valuing Art, Jewelry, and Collectibles in a Colorado Divorce

Fair market value is not what you paid, not what it is insured for, and not what it would cost to replace. How Colorado courts value art, jewelry, wine, cars, and household goods, when to hire an appraiser, and how to divide a collection without burning it down.…

The Molly Brown House, Denver
· Characterization How to Protect an Inheritance in a Colorado Divorce Before It Is Lost

An inheritance is separate property in Colorado, but its growth is marital and one deposit into a joint account can convert the rest. What the statute protects, how it gets lost, the records to keep, and what parents can do on their end.…

A row house in Denver
· Characterization A House Bought Before Marriage in a Colorado Divorce: Who Gets What

A home bought before the wedding starts out as separate property in Colorado, but the growth during the marriage is marital and one signature on a deed can hand the whole thing to the marital estate. What the court will do, and what a prenup could have changed.…

Denver's Capitol Hill from the air
· Property Division Eight Property Division Myths That Cost Colorado Divorce Clients Money

Half of what people believe about dividing property in a Colorado divorce is wrong, and the errors are expensive. Eight common myths, each corrected with the actual rule Colorado courts apply.…

An account statement dated on a wedding day beside a marriage certificate
· Characterization Separate Property Is a Filing Habit, Not a Legal Status

What you owned before the marriage, inherited, or were given can stay yours. Most claims to it are lost through ordinary household habits rather than through anything a court decided.…

A home in Ridgway, Colorado
· Characterization Marital vs. Separate Property in Colorado: The Appreciation Trap

Colorado protects the assets you brought into the marriage — but not their growth. The increase in value of separate property during the marriage is marital, and proving the starting point is where cases are won or lost.…

Mestizo-Curtis Park, Denver's oldest park
· The Process You Might Already Be Married: Common Law Marriage in Colorado

Colorado still recognizes marriage without a license — so the first fight in some cases is whether a marital estate exists at all. The Hogsett test, the evidence that decides it, and the paper that prevents it.…

Two people at a counsel table
· Characterization Common Law Marriage in Colorado: You May Be Married — and Not Know It

Colorado still recognizes common law marriage — no ceremony required. For high-net-worth couples, a found marriage can put years of asset appreciation, maintenance, and inheritance rights on the table.…

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