Posted on October 06, 2015 in Division of Assets

It can be hard enough to deal with divorce when emotions are high, changes happen quickly, and you feel overwhelmed or stressed. If you and your spouse share a company, however, things become even trickier.

Many married couples start businesses together. Having a co-worker or partner that you can trust and rely on can be amazing, and many couples have seen extreme success with their shared business ventures. Unfortunately, nearly half of all first marriages end in divorce in the U.S., with an even higher chance of divorce for second marriages. It is no surprise that many couples each year face the challenge of divorcing and dealing with a shared business. There is no correct answer to handling your shared business. You may choose to split your business, sell it, or be able to continue to work together amicably enough. No matter the outcome, you will need some help through the separation process.

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 Posted on September 30, 2015 in Divorce

Going through a divorce can be an emotional, life changing process. Splitting from the person you believed you would be happily for ever after with is never easy. Whether you were married for two years, 10 years, or 20 years, separating from the person you thought to be “the one” is devastating. It can take serious time to heal the scars and emotional damage you may have experienced during your divorce. For most people, however, the damage does fade away, and the time comes to explore dating new people. How do you know when you are ready to date again? A quick search online can bring up millions of self-help articles, post-divorce dating tips, and long lists of right and wrong strategies. While these articles may help prepare you for the world of dating, a world that may have vastly changed since the last time you experienced it, there is really only one true way to prepare yourself for post divorce dating. Take time to get to know yourself first.

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 Posted on September 29, 2015 in Prenuptial Agreements

No newly-engaged couple wants to envision their separation. Nothing can spoil the romance and magic of finding a lifelong partner and getting engaged like the thought of divorce. While nobody enters a marriage expecting to get divorced, the reality is that divorce rates in the US are rising steadily. Modern society has less of a stigma about divorce than in the past, so couples that find themselves unhappy are more frequently deciding to go their separate ways. While no marriage should be entered into lightly, everyone certainly deserves the chance to be happy in their life, and if a divorce is the answer down the road, so be it. With divorce, however, comes the tricky details of splitting your finances, which can be be especially tough for couples entering marriage with significant assets already accrued. The difficult process of splitting assets has led to many couples choosing to sign prenuptial agreements. While discussing a prenuptial agreement prior to your marriage can be very difficult, you and your partner will both be financially better off for it, in the unfortunate case of a future divorce. There are a few tactics you can use to discuss a prenuptial agreement with your partner while maintaining a positive outlook.

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 Posted on September 24, 2015 in Division of Assets

Have you ever heard of a forensic accountant? You may be thinking of something related to a crime scene, and you are not far off. Much like a forensic analyst analyzes a crime scene looking for clues, a forensic accountant analyzes personal assets. The term forensic means their findings are suited for a court of law and, as such, forensic accountants are called upon in cases of fraud, negligence, money laundering, and bankruptcy, to name a few. They are able to navigate the intricate world of high net worth individuals and corporations, exploring things like stateside and offshore bank accounts, different stock market investments, and valuing expensive personal belongings. Forensic accountants have also been called upon to assist with high net worth divorces. They play a key role in ensuring that both spouses get exactly what is owed to each of them, and are able to identify any withheld assets that one partner may be keeping from the other.

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 Posted on September 22, 2015 in Divorce

Having a baby before marriage can be tricky. In the past, many couples felt rushed to wed if they discovered they had an unexpected baby on the way. Society’s stigmas on child birth before marriage, or even cohabitation before marriage, for that matter, led many couples to partake in a so-called “shotgun” wedding. While these rushed marriages may have prevented society’s judgements, they often meant disaster for the married couple. In modern times, many of the stigmas of children before marriage have disappeared. Many couples are choosing to cohabitate long before getting married, and quite a few are having babies before marriage as well. Are parents who have a baby before marriage still doomed to end up divorcing in 2015?

A More Accepting Society

We have seen many aspects of marriage, family life, and child raising change over the past decade. By and large, Americans have become far more understanding and accepting of alternative families, cohabitation before marriage and children out of wedlock. Marriage laws across the country have been rewritten or overturned, leaving the United States a much more open and accepting place. As a shift in opinions and ideals change, it is no surprise that cohabitation and birth before marriage are on the rise. People are simply more comfortable doing what is best for their life, and spend much less time worrying about the judgment of society.

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 Posted on September 17, 2015 in Divorce

Many divorce attorneys notice a surge in divorces in September. Some call this time of the year “divorce season” as many couples choose the fall to start their separation process. For parents with children, a fall divorce may seem like perfect timing. In many situations, parents choose to stay together, even while unhappy, in hopes of protecting their children. Many view their parental responsibilities as essentially completed when their children embark on their own lives, leaving for college or starting jobs. While the idea of soldiering through an unhappy marriage for your children’s sake may seem like the most responsible and selfless choice, you may actually do more damage to your children, in the long run, by staying in an unhappy marriage. Despite this, many parents choose to separate right as their last child transitions to college and starts living their own life.

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 Posted on September 15, 2015 in Divorce

Modern-day marriages in the western world are very different than marriages of the past. For the majority of civilized history, women seemed to get the short end of the stick when it came to marriage. They were responsible for bearing and raising the children, taking care of the home, and had little to no social life, all while being financially dependent on the men they married. The men, on the other hand, were free to fraternize whenever they liked, had affairs often, and were only held responsible for providing financially, all while being considered the head of the household. Marriages of the 21st Century look quite different. Today, men and women share marital responsibilities much more equally. With many wives also working full time jobs and many husbands taking responsibility for the kids, the components of an “ideal marriage” have changed drastically. A change in what constitutes a perfect marriage also means more people may find themselves unhappy if their key characteristics of a happy marriage are not being met. A new study shows that modern-day women are more likely to initiate divorce than men. Why is that?

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 Posted on September 10, 2015 in Division of Assets

If you are planning a divorce, or are already in the divorce process, you are, most likely, hoping for a clean start. Separation from your spouse can mean new-found freedom, the ability to make your own choices, and ease the emotional burden of being in an unhappy marriage. If you and your soon to be ex-spouse have any shared debt, however, your chances of financial freedom are at risk. Before a divorce, couples need to ensure that they have properly established what will happen with the remainder of their joint credit card debt.

Harsh Realities

Credit card companies are not concerned with divorce. If you and your spouse opened joint lines of credit and then divorce, you are both still responsible for the debt. Furthermore, credit card companies have no problem going after both spouses, even long after being divorced, in order to receive payment. No recently divorced person wants to deal with the stress and pain of old credit card debt, or risk damaging their individual credit score, so it is important to take steps early on in the divorce process to ensure that your debts are divided properly and everything is taken care of.

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 Posted on September 08, 2015 in Domestic Violence

Many cities and towns across the United States have recently taken harsher stances against neighborhood crime and disturbances. Over the past 25 years, American communities have put in place laws that aim to weed out drug dealers and problem households from neighborhoods. These laws often force landlords to evict tenants from their homes if they become a problem household and the police are too often called to them. While these so called “nuisance” or “crime-free” ordinances are enacted with the intention of increasing neighborhood safety and reducing criminal activity in communities, unforeseen problems have arisen. Now, victims of domestic or sexual violence across the country are left with a choice; call the police and risk losing their homes, or face the violence. A new Illinois law, signed at the end of the summer, aims to protect those victims.

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 Posted on August 31, 2015 in Child Custody

Finding the perfect child custody schedule for your children can be difficult. With the school year just beginning, many split custody families are testing out their school year custody schedule, one that can be very different from a summer vacation schedule. The best custody arrangement is one that allows your children to feel loved and supported, provides a stable environment, and allows access to quality time spent with both parents. Here are some key things to remember when arranging your child custody schedule with your child's other parent.

Be Realistic

When initially vying for child custody, it’s common for anger and other emotions to cloud your judgment. Try to avoid using your children’s custody schedule as a way to attack your soon to be ex. Do not let your child custody plan be based on your own insecurities or in an attempt to hurt your spouse. Many parents, whose judgments are clouded by emotions, overextend themselves and demand full custody or close to it, when, really, they are unable to actually care well for their children. Consider your own schedule, living arrangements, and other commitments before asking for a large amount of scheduled time with your children. Hopefully you have an attorney by your side during the initial custody arrangement process, so he or she can help steer you in the right direction if necessary.

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