Having and raising children is a challenge. Having to co-parent children during separation or divorce can feel impossible. Children see and hear the sadness and anger taking place around them. Parents don’t always think about what is in the best interests of the children, because they are so hurt or upset by their own pain. Teaching parents to focus on what is truly best for the children is why most courts mandate parenting classes, in order to encourage more effective co-parenting. So, … [Read more...]
Divorce: Dividing the House and Other Assets
Psychiatrists and psychologists rank divorce as the second most stressful life event behind the death of a spouse. In a divorce, one of the most frustrating parts of the process involves the division of the family’s assets. Both spouses are concerned about how they will stretch the finances that have supported one household to now support two. One of the biggest pieces of the financial puzzle is “Who gets the house in a divorce?” In traditional divorce litigation, the focus is often on, … [Read more...]
The Three Most Important Decisions Before You File For Divorce
As a Collaborative Divorce Attorney, I have witnessed the sheer agony experienced by those I have served in making the decision to divorce. I have learned just how important it is to finally and fully decide it is the right time to uncouple in the right way. The first and most important decision is not a legal one at all. Whether you are the spouse who is the one leaving or the one left behind, it is essential to attain complete … [Read more...]
Child Custody Disputes – The Saddest Battle
One of my favorite assignments as a board-certified family lawyer was being chosen by a family court judge to represent a child whose parents were divorcing. The reason the courts appoint attorneys for children whose parents cannot agree on post-divorce care and custodial arrangements, is to protect the children from the worst aspects of their parents’ dispute and to give them a voice in the process. It was a gratifying job, but a frustrating one. … [Read more...]
For Divorce with Special Needs Children – Collaborative Divorce is the Better Option
April is “Autism Acceptance Month.” Prior to 2021, this acknowledgement was called “Autism Awareness Month,” but as we have begun to learn more about autism and what it means to be “on the spectrum” of autism, we have learned that being on that spectrum is like a rainbow–there are many variations of abilities and inabilities, challenges and yet special gifts that people on the spectrum bring to our world and the families in which they live. One Texas Rehabilitation … [Read more...]
The Financial Challenges of Divorcing in Difficult Economic Times
The process and outcomes of divorce are always multifaceted and difficult, even in the best of economic times. When a couple divorces, they are divorcing emotionally, socially, legally and of course, financially. Depending on the timing of one’s divorce, these areas of divorce can produce problems that are particularly challenging relative to other times one might divorce. When a couple chooses to collaborate in the context of a Collaborative Divorce, they are choosing a process … [Read more...]
The Wisters and the Role of a Financial Professional in their Collaborative Divorce
This fictional profile gives insight to the role that a Financial Advisor plays as a neutral in the Collaborative Divorce process. The Collaborative Divorce process is an alternative process to a traditional courtroom divorce. The process involves the divorcing parties, their legal representatives, a Mental Health Professional and a Financial Professional. The Mental Health and Financial Professionals are neutrals in the process – neither specifically associated with either of … [Read more...]
Five Self-Care Tips for Clients During a Divorce
Divorce is often described as one of the most stressful events of any person’s life, right up there with the death of a loved one. And it is the “death” of a relationship which was initially intended to last a lifetime. Even for the spouse who has decided the relationship should be over, divorce can be extremely stressful. So, how can the stress and emotional damage be decreased? 1. Acceptance As soon as you know the relationship is over, whether … [Read more...]
Informed Decision-Making & Control of the Future-Part 2
It’s time! Now what and how? I didn’t anticipate what you might call brain fog around the division of my marital estate. I’d worked in personal finance since 1998 and knew my financial world as well as possible. The peace-of-mind I received from having guidance from a clear-headed, unemotional, mentally available, experienced team is the best gift I’ve probably ever given myself. Divorce is likely an event with which you do not have much or any hands-on experience. This process is one that … [Read more...]
Pre-Divorce Financial Checklist
It’s no secret that a divorce can be tough. There are emotional, financial and legal issues to consider. Before you decide to move forward with your divorce, it’s important to go through a pre-divorce financial checklist. Doing this will make it easier when the time comes to separate your assets and know what you need. So, what do you really need to do to start on your financial checklist? The first thing is to get in touch with an attorney. You should find an attorney that you are … [Read more...]
