Blog Posts in September, 2014

Same-Sex Divorce

While same-sex marriage is now allowed in 19 states and the District of Columbia, laws governing same-sex divorce have failed to keep up. Because of that, same-sex spouses looking to end their marriages are now seemingly trapped. A Same- Sex Divorce Example Cori Jo Long, 31, and Brooke Powell, 30, travelled from Texas to New Hampshire in 2010 in order to obtain their same-sex marriage. Now that ...

Comparing U.S. and French Divorce

A recent article in The Huffington Post took a closer look at the differences between how the U.S. and France deal with divorce. What it found was a stark difference between the two countries. Drama v. No Drama Divorce in France seems to be without the drama of a U.S. divorce. France forbids cross examinations, depositions, and sworn testimonies, which leads to lower legal fees, faster trials, and ...

Too Poor to Pay Child Support

In the U.S., even though nearly one in four children should be receiving child support, only 62% of the money owed is actually being paid. To get a sense of who these deadbeat parents are, or rather where they are living, consider the data. Nationwide Data According to the Census Bureau ACS HHS Office of Child Support Enforcement, the poorer the state, the less able the state is to collect child ...

Protect Yourself During Legal Separation

If you and your spouse have decided on a legal separation, it’s important that you have an attorney draw up a legal separation agreement. This document will be legal and binding, while also offering you some form of legal protection if your spouse fails to live up to his or her obligations. This document will also hold in court, should you be forced to go to court. What Should be Contained in the ...

Pet Custody After Divorce

While pets are legally considered “property” in a divorce, it’s no surprise that couples are becoming creative when it comes to pet custody disputes. So what can you and your spouse do and what can courts do when dividing this “property”? Here are some options to consider. Pet Parenting Plan Put together a pet parenting plan that can allow you and your ex-spouse regular visitation rights. You ...

Jenner Divorce

After 23-years of marriage, and almost a year of legal separation, Kris Jenner has filed for divorce from soon to be ex-spouse, Bruce Jenner. Divorce and Child Custody Though the two were separated for a year, they were were still very much in each other’s lives. Kris, 58, filed for the divorce on September 22nd, in Los Angeles, citing irreconcilable differences. Kris and Bruce, 64, have two ...

Divorce and Sale of Assets

A divorce can cause great financial strains on everyone involved. As has been seen in most cases, couples in the midst of a divorce, must now find a way to stretch their income to now support two households, rather than just one. On top of this they must also add in attorney fees and other costs of litigation. As a result spouses make attempts to downsize expenses, and often turn towards selling ...

Not Legally Married, so Can't Legally Divorce

Rich New Jersey couple, Debra A. DeAngelis and Michael Jay Mandelbaum are battling over “hundreds of millions of dollars” in their divorce settlement. But that money is riding on one small technicality: since their marriage license was issued after the wedding, they were technically never legally married. Mandelbaum is arguing that this technicality means they can’t legally get divorced. The two ...

What Not to Say About Divorce

Divorce is hard. And if you’ve gone through a divorce, or are trying to stand by a friend during their divorce, you know there are a lot of things not to say. And then there are the things you really really need not say. Below are some of the top things people going through a divorce wish they never had to hear again. Advice You Wish You’d Never Heard “Work it out” No one who has decided on going ...

Divorce Harder for Rich Kids

New research suggests that separation or divorce might have a higher impact on higher income families than lower income families. The Study The study, done at Georgetown University and the University of Chicago, looked at data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth. The survey was started by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 1979, to record data from a nationally representative sample of ...

Difference Between Summary Dissolution and Divorce

There’s often a lot of confusion surrounding “Divorce,” “Dissolution of Marriage,” and “Summary Dissolution.” Where it Gets Confusing One thing’s for sure – they all mean the ending of a marriage. In California, “Divorce” and “Dissolution of Marriage” are the same – in fact, a lot of times these terms are used interchangeably. This is because California is a “no-fault” state – meaning blame can ...

Is there a "Divorce Month"?

Curiosity caused us to take a closer look at the question, “is there a ‘divorce month’?” “Divorce Month” After further research, it appears there might be. Maybe it goes along with the colder temperatures, but it appears that the first month of the year might just be the most popular time to file for divorce. In fact, in some legal circles it’s been titled, “Divorce Month.” January has the most ...

Indiana's WorkOne Program - a Success for Child Support

The Allen County Prosecutor’s Office in Indiana handles 25,000 child support cases. And a very small portion of those cases are part of a nearly-year-old pilot program with WorkOne, based in northeast Indiana. Though the WorkOne program is still in its infancy, the results are proving to be encouraging to the people handling the cases. Those participating in the program saw an increase in their ...

Retirement Accounts and Dividing Marital Property

There are many challenges that come with being a single parent in California—logistical, emotional and, of course, financial. While it is natural to focus on the financial well-being of your child during divorce, you also need to think about your own financial future when it comes to property division. Don’t Forget Spouses are entitled to the money in retirement accounts and pension plans when ...

Divorce and Protecting Your Finances

Divorce is costly – emotionally and financially. While it’s hard to know exactly what to do in terms of the emotional cost, there are some tips you can follow to help with the financial cost. Keeping Finances Separate in a Divorce You want to eliminate any chance for financial surprises. So it’s best to close joint accounts, credit cards and other lines of credit as soon as possible. You can keep ...

Plan for Your Divorce

Now that the kids are heading back to school, you might want to start planning for something you’ve been putting off all summer – a divorce. So Many Reasons Divorce is not something you should take lightly. In light of an ever-improving economy, as well as a turn in the months – a lot of people who have been postponing divorce for various reasons, are now more likely to pursue them. Regardless of ...

Don't Be a Financial Victim of Divorce

It’s often the case that women getting divorced become financial victims. This is often due to some misguided priorities, so it’s important that if you’re facing a divorce, you start focusing on empowering yourself – financially. Developing a different relationship with the way you handle money can be difficult. And while it’s important to think about the division of marital assets, it’s also ...

Forced to Pay Child Support for Child He Never Knew About

Nick Olivas became a father at 14 when he had sex with a 20-year-old woman, but he didn’t find out until eight years later, when he was served papers for child support. In retrospect he views the situation as being taken advantage of. Cannot Consent According to Arizona state law, a child under the age of 15 cannot consent with an adult under any circumstance. This ruling makes Olivas a rape ...

The Griffin Divorce Heats Up

Hedge-fund billionaire Kenneth Griffin filed for divorce from Anne Dias Griffin in July. But now Anne Dias Griffin is alleging in Cook County Circuit Court that the premarital agreement is not valid and should thus, be declared invalid and not be enforceable. She is asking the court to award her an equitable share of the couple’s property. she is also seeking sole custody of their three children ...

10 Things You Might Want to Say to Your Children During Your Divorce

Divorce can be an overwhelming experience for you and your spouse, but it’s truly important to remember the innocent bystanders watching and listening – your kids. Here are just a few words of advice to offer children in order to help ease any tension or stress they may be feeling. It’s not the children’s fault Children are always going to want to look for a reason and one place they may turn is ...