Deciding to split from a spouse is a big decision, but you have decided it is the right choice for you. Just because you have settled on divorce does not mean you want a bunch of drama. In fact, you would like to avoid as much fighting and stress as possible.
A good option may be an alternative dispute resolution like a collaborative law divorce. Here is what you need to know about the process and whether it may work for you.
Written by: Claudia Revermann, Co-Founder of Lucent Tax Relief, Attorney at Law, CPA
Only around 5% of married Americans choose to file their taxes separately. Typically, the benefits of joint filing outweigh the risks. However, filing jointly with your spouse means that you are both liable for each other's tax responsibilities. The IRS refers to this as joint and several liability.
This marriage of liability means that even if your spouse was the only one with a job and you file jointly, you are individually 100% responsible for ensuring that the taxes are filed, are correct and complete, and any balances are paid on time even if you made no income and wouldn't otherwise owe anything.
Written By Jennifer Pell
Sixty-five percent of remarriages involve children and blending two families. Moving in with a new spouse and their children is a huge transition for everyone involved, not just the children, but also the parents on both sides. There are a multitude of factors to take into account when blending a family, but here are some tips on making the move as easy as possible for everyone involved.
Before everyone moves in together, you and your partner should sit down and agree together on how your new, blended household will run. First and foremost, it is important that the parents agree and form a united front, as this will be the most important factor in the stepparents establishing and maintaining authority. Aside from household details, there may also be legal considerations to discuss with an attorney before the families are integrated.
Written by Robert Davidson - Author of THE BEAST I LOVED: A Battered Woman's Desperate Struggle to Survive
There are many issues regarding domestic violence, but the one that, to me, is most infuriating, most unfair, and most misunderstood is the most commonly asked question of all: "Why didn't she just leave?" But that should not be the question. The question should be, "Why do men batter women?" And as a society, "How do we stop it?" That's what we should be asking.
Written by Robert Davidson - Author of THE BEAST I LOVED: A Battered Woman's Desperate Struggle to Survive
Domestic violence is all about power and the need to control, which comes from the monumental insecurity virtually all batterers suffer from. Like little children, they have a constant, nagging, inescapable fear of abandonment that they never outgrew like normal children do, and so carry around their warped perception of a fearful world that leads so reliably-and unfairly-to the abuse of their partners.
There are many things to manage when going through a divorce. You must divide your assets, decide who will keep the marital home and determine child custody, if you share children.
Depending on your specific situation and relationship, a divorce can be relatively simple or incredibly complex. You may be wondering if hiring a divorce attorney is necessary.
Written By Jennifer Pell
The Affordable Care Act stipulates that minor children must be covered by some form of health insurance. Despite this law, 5% of U.S children under the age of 18 were uninsured in 2017, according to Georgetown University's Center for Children and Families. When a couple with children choose to divorce, both parents can become embroiled in a bitter dispute. However, research has found that children from these families are more likely to get sick. Therefore, for the sake of your child's post-break-up health, it's essential that you get their health insurance policy and its associated costs organized amicably.
Written By Jennifer Pell
Handing over the cash or keys for a motor vehicle is an important part of growing up for many American teens. There's a huge level of responsibility attached to motoring; despite this, many young drivers don't take this responsibility to heart. For instance, 10% of drunk driving fatalities are caused by drivers under 21.
Juvenile delinquency has a complex and sensitive interaction with family law. Dealing with the range of motoring offenses in a way that is sufficiently punitive while safeguarding your child's development - and their road safety - can be a difficult process. Proper management starts with organizational skills.
Going through a divorce often brings out the worst in people. Former spouses accuse each other of dishonesty and rehash old arguments. When children are involved, things can get particularly heated. You and your soon-to-be ex love your children, so you each want to spend as much time with them as possible. This can lead to conflict.
Even if you and your former partner disagree about custody, that does not mean a nasty court case is inevitable. There are alternative dispute resolutions, like child custody mediation.
Written By Jennifer Pell
Among Americans aged 50 and older, divorce rates have doubled since the 1990s, according to a recent Pew Research Center report. Researchers postulate various reasons for this boom in what is sometimes termed 'gray divorce'. On the one hand, we are living longer than ever before. Thus, someone in their 50s has decades of life ahead, and may find that over the years, they have become incompatible with their spouse. Secondly, there is less stigma associated with divorce - which is just as well considering that the current divorce rate stands at 40 to 50%. If you are undergoing a divorce in your 50s or later, how can you make the most of this new opportunity for growth?
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