Health insurance is an important issue in any divorce when at least one party is under age 65 and without means to obtain their own health insurance. It can also be a significant issue with children who have graduated from high school but have not yet entered the work force to acquire their own health insurance. Thus, there are two areas where decisions should be made regarding health insurance and divorce: your child’s coverage and your coverage. This article is a high-level overview of what to … [Read more...]
Divorce Finances – 4 Tools To Help You Financially
Saying divorce can mess with your mind is a substantial understatement. I know because I have been there. It is as if my brain was removed from my head and placed beside me for about a year. (It does come back!) The intelligent together woman I once was turned into an emotional, brain-fogged, unorganized basket case. If you are in the middle of a divorce you may be able to relate. So how do you navigate your financial future in the midst of a … [Read more...]
Tips for How to Tell the Kids You Are Getting a Divorce
Kids remember where they were when their parents first told them about the divorce. If that memory can be as peaceful, loving, and as safe as possible, it is going to be a significantly less traumatic memory for them as they age. Here are a few important suggestions for how to tell the kids that you and your spouse are getting a divorce. The first important piece is that you want to tell your kids at a time where they do not have anything important coming up that day. If … [Read more...]
Emotionally Intelligent Spousing: You Go First!
You may already be the perfect spouse. You exude empathy and love and role model all the best practices for growing a marriage that will last a lifetime. For you, it’s simple. You just happen to possess the very qualities that draw others to you and inspire them to evolve toward their highest potential. For me, on the other hand, it was on-the-job training that felt like a roller coaster ride. Amidst the excitement of new beginnings came increasing chasms in communication and … [Read more...]
An Open Letter to Kelly Clarkson
Dear Kelly Clarkson, I was reading about your pending divorce with your husband. This is probably a stressful time for you and your family. I have appreciated your artistry over the years and was moved to reach out to you. As a clinical social worker, I have worked with divorcing parents and their children for years and here are a few things I have learned and thought I would share just in case: During the pendency of the divorce … [Read more...]
Dealing With Fear During a Divorce and Pandemic
Are you in a difficult marriage and afraid to get out? Now that you are staying home together because of the pandemic, do you and your spouse fight all the time? Are you feeling depressed and unhappy, but too frightened to see a collaborative divorce attorney? Do you worry about being alone and broke after a divorce? Are you staying in your marriage because of the kids? Don’t think you are alone, because everyone feels anxious about … [Read more...]
Filing For Divorce and Bankruptcy
Going through a difficult divorce during the COVID-19 pandemic can be bad enough, but your difficulties will multiply if you lose your job or face expensive medical care. You may need to file for bankruptcy as well as get a divorce. Even if you don’t catch the virus or lose your job, divorce adversely affects most family finances and is the leading cause of bankruptcy in America. If you and your spouse are considering a divorce and filing for bankruptcy at the … [Read more...]
What is the impact of the Recovery Plan on People in the Process of Getting a Divorce?
When you look at the CARES Act, there are two main areas for individuals to focus on: economic impact payments and retirement accounts. The economic impact payments are the checks that everybody is talking about. The check is really a prepayment of a 2020 tax credit. With these credits, every adult is starting out with $1200. I get $1200 and my wife gets $1200. If you are looking at an individual, you get the $1,200 if your income is below $75,000. Once you go above $75,000, you start … [Read more...]
COVID-19 SELF-ISOLATION AND COLLABORATIVE DIVORCE
Something unusual is happening in China following self-isolation of couples due to COVID-19, the divorce rates are climbing according to registry officials. They believe it’s because couples are spending too much time together in quarantine. Self-isolated couples are getting into arguments over petty things and rushing off to file for divorce because they are anxious and angry. Scientists aren’t certain that working together in close quarters is emotionally healthy for couples … [Read more...]
How Much Does Divorce Cost?
It’s a great question. And a question for which everyone wants to know the answer, but no one seems to be able to. The truth is that it can be answered, just not with a hard, up front number. The answer depends in part on which process you choose and how much you and your spouse are willing to work together. Let’s do a little compare and contrast. First: The Traditional Litigation Route This is the route people know from tv shows. You file a petition and your lawyer prepares what is called … [Read more...]
