PSA Topics, Part 1

These are some of the issues you might see addressed in a property settlement agreement (PSA) in New Jersey:

• Visitation
• Child Support Payments Under New Jersey Law
• Spousal Maintenance Under New Jersey Law
• Property Division
• Division of Debts

Visitation and child support are issues only relevant if you have children, obviously. Spousal maintenance may be an issue, especially if one spouse is the primary breadwinner (and the other one was at home taking care of children, or if the other spouse could not or did not work). Division of debts can also be important, if the couple has incurred large debts through credit cards, car loans, mortgages, or other debts.

The main issue in any PSA, though, is division of property. As I explained earlier, New Jersey follows an "equitable distribution" rule, which splits property fairly (although not necessarily equally). The Court can make the decision of how to split the property, but oftentimes the parties are much more satisfied (and spend much less on lawyers) if they can make the agreement themselves, and specify it here.