The judge signed. You're not done. The money, insurance, name, tax, and estate steps that protect everything you just spent a divorce securing.
Charles E. Liken Jr., Esq. — On Colorado's Legal Front Lines Since 1995 · Government Investigator, Denver Human Services (1997–2003) · Licensed Colorado Attorney Since 2003 ~ 20+ Years in Private Practice · Colorado Deputy District Attorney (2018–2020) · Colorado Court-Appointed Child and Family Investigator
Most post-divorce damage happens quietly, months later — an unchanged beneficiary, a missed refinance deadline, a joint card nobody closed. Work the list.
Close or separate every joint account and card the decree doesn't require. Calendar the refinance and transfer deadlines in your decree. Pull your credit report now and again in six months — surprises hide there.
Where LLF comes in: We audit your decree into a dated task list — every deadline, every transfer, every account — so nothing quietly defaults.
Colorado law automatically revokes many beneficiary designations naming an ex-spouse — but not all of them: employer plans governed by federal law pay the form on file, ex-spouse and all. Update every designation in writing: life insurance, 401(k), IRA, POD accounts.
Where LLF comes in: We sweep every designation against the decree — including the ones the decree requires you to keep (security for support obligations).
Divorce ends coverage under an ex-spouse's employer plan — but it's a qualifying event: you can generally continue via COBRA for up to 36 months (at full cost) or use the special enrollment window for a marketplace plan.
Where LLF comes in: We make sure the coverage handoff is planned in the decree, not discovered at the pharmacy counter.
Name restoration can be ordered right in the decree — and if it wasn't, a short post-decree motion (JDF 1824/1825) fixes it. Then the cascade: Social Security, DMV, passport, bank, employer.
Where LLF comes in: We handle the motion and hand you the certified copies agencies demand — usually without a hearing.
Your filing status is set by your marital status on December 31. Child dependency follows the decree (with IRS Form 8332 releases where required). Post-2018 maintenance is neither deductible nor taxable. Withholding almost always needs updating.
Where LLF comes in: We coordinate with your tax preparer so the decree's tax assumptions actually show up on the return.
Your old will probably names your ex. Colorado revokes some provisions automatically — but automatic isn't a plan. New will, new powers of attorney, new medical directive, updated guardianship nominations for your kids.
Where LLF comes in: Estate planning is half our practice: we rebuild your plan to match your new life — usually in one sitting.
Ready when you are — talk it through with Charles.
Your choice: no-charge 20-minute phone call OR in-depth hour ($300) — both directly with Charles.
Easiest is asking for name restoration in the decree itself. If the decree is silent, a short post-decree motion and order (JDF 1824/1825) restores your prior name — then update Social Security, DMV, and passport in that order.
Sometimes. Colorado's revocation-on-divorce statute cancels many designations naming an ex-spouse, but federal-law employer plans (like 401(k)s and employer life insurance) pay whoever is on the form. Update every beneficiary form in writing.
Not as a spouse. Divorce is a COBRA qualifying event allowing up to 36 months of continued coverage at full premium, and it opens a special enrollment period for marketplace plans.
Yes. Automatic revocation rules are partial and vary by asset; a new will, powers of attorney, medical directive, and guardianship nominations make sure your new intentions — not your old ones — control.
Get several certified copies of the decree and separation agreement; agencies and lenders want originals with seals. Keep every support payment, exchange, and reimbursement documented — apps and bank transfers beat cash and memory.
And when the other side stops performing — support unpaid, refinance ignored, QDRO stalled — you have real remedies. That's what our Contempt & Enforcement practice does all day.
Bring your decree to a single strategy session and leave with a dated, personal punch list — plus the motions, orders, and estate documents queued where the firm can save you the trip.
Twenty minutes with the team now beats twenty billable hours untangling it later.