Divorce | Pennsylvania Family Law Blog - The Law Offices of Sheryl R. Rentz - Part 11
How to Afford a Pennsylvania Divorce that Satisfies Both Parties Involved, Part II
In our last blog post, we discussed financial considerations that couples who are divorcing in Pennsylvania need to take in order to gratify both parties, as highlighted in a recent Reuters article. This post marks the conclusion of the two-part series, and will talk about several other items that divorcing couples need to spend time deliberating over during the divorce process in Pennsylvania.
You will need to discuss paying for your children’s future college tuition bills with your soon-to-be ex-spouse. Statistically, children whose parents have divorced are less successful at completing college than children whose parents’ marriage is intact. Often this can be attributed to the failure of parents who have divorced to come to terms with who will pay the tuition bills. You and your future ex-spouse need to have a specific arrangement on this. Be clear what percentage each party will pay of the tuition bill, and agree to adjust the amounts in the future to allow for inflation. Read the rest »
How to Afford a Pennsylvania Divorce that Satisfies Both Parties Involved, Part I
A recent article published by news outlet Reuters discusses ways that the everyday person can afford a divorce. Most people can’t afford paying huge divorce settlements like most celebrities do these days and move on with their lives, particularly during the current economic climate. Many troubled couples are finding it difficult to split up at all, with many couples deciding to continue to cohabit even as they file for divorce in Pennsylvania because they aren’t able to sell their house. Many people don’t want to agree to pay costly alimony payments because they’re worried about the weakness of the job market. Discussing paying for their children’s medical care and future tuition bills that are far into the future can seem insurmountably high and impossible. However, staying together for the sake of finances probably isn’t the best option, as the relationship is likely to continue to deteriorate and the children may suffer more.
One of the most critical things that a couple going through the divorce process in Pennsylvania needs to do is obtain a clear picture of where they stand financially. Add up credit card bills and find out how much the house is worth in today’s market. If you think your soon-to-be ex-spouse is hiding money from you, hire a certified public accountant who specializes in finding hidden money (also referred to as a forensic specialist) to make sure all the assets between the two of you are known. Read the rest »
Divorce Court during the Holiday Season
With the Christmas season now in full swing, it is also unfortunately the season for divorcing couples to argue over who should get their kids for the holiday. This month’s festivities can already be very emotional for a person who is facing divorce in Pennsylvania, and figuring out how to reasonably divide the holidays with your children and a soon-to-be ex-spouse can be especially trying.
A recent article from The Huffington Post notes that divorce attorneys at this time are often forced to file emergency motions asking a judge to settle disputes between divorcing couples over who will have their children on Christmas Day if neither will budge on their stance. Read the rest »
Surviving the Holiday Season after a Pennsylvania Divorce
Surviving the holidays during or soon after a divorce in Pennsylvania can be very difficult. Feelings of loneliness or anger are only magnified during cheery festivities with friends and family. Often the holidays are anticipated with dread by a newly divorce or separated person. While there aren’t any magical cures for the holiday blues, there are some things you can do to help make coping with a Pennsylvania divorce easier during the holidays.
Try to plan ahead to do something fun, stress-free, and relaxing with the people you genuinely care about. If you’re worried the holidays are going to be too painful with reminders of your divorce everywhere, consider taking a vacation to escape. Read the rest »
Divorce Changes More than One’s Marital Status
Anyone who’s ever said that filing for divorce is an easy process has probably never been through a divorce themselves. Divorce is usually one of the most stressful situations that a person can ever go through in life. It is a complicated process that involves a substantial amount of work. However, once the divorce process is completed, its conclusion does not mark the end of hard work, particularly if children are involved.
According to a recent NapaValleyRegister.com article, the divorce process can best be described as a major period of change. A person’s daily routines are significantly altered, their finances are inevitably affected, and relationships with their now ex-spouse and close family friends are forever changed. Ultimately, individuals who divorce are not only changing their marital status, but also the way they live after the divorce is finalized. Read the rest »
Income, Not Co-Habitation Before Marriage, May Be More Significant in Divorce Decisions
Every now and then, trends need to be re-examined, particularly when it comes to statistical data associated with those trends. When it comes to divorce rate and co-habitation before marriage, what can be deciphered today is different from what was concluded decades ago. According to a recent Newsweek article, living together before marriage was formerly considered a warning sign that an eventual marriage was doomed to end in divorce; but as society’s view of co-habitation has changed over the years, the correlation between co-habitation and divorce has less to do with the act of living together, and more with external factors that may have led to two people choosing to live with one another.
In the 1970s, nearly a third of couples decided to live together before marriage. At the time, societal views of the act of co-habitation were predominantly negative. Now, nearly two-thirds of all couples decide to live together before marriage and, while it is still considered by some to be an improper path taken prior to saying I do, it is much more accepted than ever before. However, when the financial situations of the two co-habiting individuals are taken into consideration, the likelihood of divorce is inevitably affected. Read the rest »
Pay a Premium, Decide to Divorce, and Collect Your Check
Insurance policies are taken out in the event of some sort of disaster. Up until recently, divorce was hardly considered the type of disaster that insurance would cover. However, according to a recent dispatch.com article, one particular insurance company is now offering divorce insurance to individuals who feel that their marriages cannot be saved.
Critics of the newly offered insurance product reason that couples who have this insurance may be less inclined to make their marriage work, opting instead for a monetary payout once proof of the divorce is furnished to the insurance company. Reportedly, the insurance costs about $16 a month per unit, which translates to $1,250 once the policy matures. An individual purchasing this insurance must wait four years until the policy matures, although riders can allegedly be purchased to minimize the length of the maturity period. While many may view this insurance as an extra precautionary measure taken in defense of divorce, others may consider it an indication that a marriage is not built upon strong enough of a foundation to ultimately last in the first place, and that couples who purchase this insurance may simply be setting themselves up for failure. Read the rest »
Children of Divorced Parents are Likely to Experience Divorce Later in Life
With some statistics showing that one out of every two marriages will fail, it’s no wonder that divorce has ingrained itself within our society. In fact, with the addition of laws that have made it much easier to file for divorce nowadays than it was 50 years ago, our society has gotten to the point where divorce is hardly out of the ordinary. Consequently, according to a recent CNN.com report, it’s this sense of familiarity that is making divorce even more prevalent, particularly among couples where either one or both spouses come from families of divorce.
The National Center for Health Statistics reports that in 2009, there were 3.4 divorces per 1,000 people in the United States. However, when you factor in whether or not an individual has divorced parents, the likelihood that the individual will eventually divorce greatly increases. That is, the risk of divorce increases by 50% when one spouse comes from a family of divorce, and an astounding 200% when both spouses do. The most basic explanation for these figures is the idea that children grow up to value the same ideals their parents did, and if divorce was factored into the familial equation, then a child will view divorce much less benignly than a child who was not exposed to a household of divorce while growing up. Read the rest »
Study Shows Daughters May Instill More Divorces than Sons
In a recent New York Times blog article, a study involving the causal relationship between a child’s gender and the likelihood that the child’s parents will divorce has provoked some interesting thoughts. According to the data gathered, parents of girls divorce 5% more than parents of boys do. In fact, the greater the number of daughters a couple has does in fact seem to have an effect on divorce. For example, parents who have three daughters are 10% more likely to divorce than couples who have three sons, according to supporting data gathered in 2003.
There are numerous theories as to why this trend occurs. Previous theories claim that men are more likely to help make a marriage work if sons are involved, although any sort of evidence for this theory is lacking. Currently, some believe that daughters may be viewed as better companions than sons are, and that mothers are more willing to depend on their daughters for the type of social support needed during a divorce. Essentially, if a woman has a daughter, then she does not necessarily need a husband, one theory states. Furthermore, daughters may be labeled as more helpful and/or self-sufficient upon reaching adulthood, while sons are considered more dependent, thus the reasoning why couples may choose to stay together rather than divorce. Read the rest »
Retirement Assets and Insurance Policies Also Need To Be Updated During a Divorce
Divorce cases are often characterized by division of assets and alimony payments. However, what many individuals filing for divorce fail to take into account are their non-probate assets, namely those which cannot be immediately divided between the two divorcing parties, but which will either mature over time or be paid out after certain events take place. Retirement accounts, life insurance policies, and last will and testaments are all classified as non-probate assets. According to a news story featured on West Virginia’s WVNS-TV, the details of these assets are often overlooked, leaving behind complicated matters even after a divorce has long been granted.
In some states, non-probate assets are immediately disassociated with an individual once the divorce process is completed, unless otherwise stipulated in the details of the divorce. However, the majority of states do not have such a policy in place, meaning that divorcing couples need to take appropriate measures in order to ensure that their future assets are distributed according to their wishes. While some divorcing couples may not feel the need to change beneficiaries of non-probate assets, it is still a good idea to draw up new documentation after a Pennsylvania divorce in order to clear up any confusion that may arise once policies mature or in the event that an individual passes away. In essence, divorcing couples should always keep in mind that officially ending a marriage does not simply involve what you have now, but also what you will potentially have in the future too. Read the rest »
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