Property Division

Cryptocurrency does not sit in a bank where a statement arrives each month, and that is exactly why it causes trouble in divorce. It can be hard to find, hard to value, and easy to mislabel. The good news is that California’s rules for it are not new or exotic: crypto is treated as property, and the same community property and disclosure rules that apply to every other asset apply to it. ...

California is a community property state — which means most of what you and your spouse own gets treated as jointly owned the moment you divorce, regardless of whose name is on the title or whose paycheck bought it. That single rule shapes almost every financial decision in a California divorce, so understanding it early saves real time and money later. Here’s exactly how property gets divided, what counts as “yours” versus “shared,” and which forms make it official. ...