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Divorce can take a toll on everyone’s mental, emotional, and physical being, but it is children who are typically the most vulnerable to long-term issues. As such, parents are encouraged to do everything that they can to protect their children from the effects of divorce. Learn more, including how an experienced family law attorney can help with the process, using the following information.
Keep the Child Out of the Middle
Parents do not typically place their child in the middle of the divorce intentionally. Instead, they typically make a series of small, seemingly unimportant decisions that can compromise their child’s emotional well-being. They may overshare details about the divorce or the reasons why the relationship failed. Some may find themselves asking about the other parent’s personal life, or they may lean on their child while struggling through the divorce process. All these actions – and any others that place the child in the middle of the relationship – can cause severe and irreparable emotional or mental damage to the child, even if the acts are unintentional.
Long-distance relationships are never easy, but those that involve children can be especially trying. In fact, parents and children who have gone through divorce or separation may experience a disconnect – one in which the parent feels left out of the child’s day-to-day life, and the child feels the absence of a parent that is far away. Thankfully, it is possible to develop a parenting plan that satisfies all parties and reduces the risk of mental and emotional distress. The following information can help you learn more about drafting a long-distance parenting plan, and it explains how an experienced family law attorney can assist with the process.
Make Time for Regular, In-Person Visits
Long-distance parents are encouraged to have regular, in-person visits with their child – not just because it gives you and your child physical contact, but also because it can help to ensure that your child knows you are there for them, as much as you can be. Plan to travel out for school concerts and special occasions or request that your child come and stay with you for a weekend every month. Also, consider whether it would be feasible for your child to spend holidays or school breaks with you.
Back in 2015, a groundbreaking study determined that some 7.2 million Americans are hiding money or lines of credit from their spouses. If you think that statistic is alarming, consider how many of those same couples will ultimately divorce (current statistics suggest a little less than half). Then contemplate whether a spouse is more likely to hide assets in divorce if they did so in marriage. Could you be at risk for asset hiding during your divorce? Learn how to protect yourself from such practices, and discover how an attorney can help you fight for your fair share.
Signs and Symptoms of Asset Hiding
To find hidden assets, you must first determine if you may be at risk. Look for strange business behaviors, secretive practices, evasiveness, and overall defensiveness anytime money is discussed. Also, watch for any signs of overseas travel, new sales or purchases (including strange, odd, or even seemingly low-value items), loans, sudden or frequent business trips, gifts to family and friends, and other uncharacteristic practices or behaviors. Be especially alert if you have a high net worth marriage or are a disadvantaged spouse (meaning you earn less than your spouse or do not earn any of your own money). Couples that have a business as a part of their marital estate (joint, or single-owned) should also be extremely conscious of strange or out-of-character behaviors or practices, including any that may pertain to the business itself.
Most parents know that their child needs to be protected during a divorce, but there are a few that will use their child as a weapon. Unfortunately, such actions can cause long-term damage. The following information can help you learn how to mitigate against the possible effects of parental alienation, and it describes how an attorney can assist with your divorce case.
Signs and Symptoms of Parental Alienation
In the early stages of parental alienation, parents may not notice any signs and symptoms. However, there may be details about the divorce that start to emerge. For example, your child might ask why you stopped loving the other parent, or why it is that you refused to forgive them for a mistake they made. As time passes, additional signs and symptoms may start to surface, including:
Any child can struggle with the divorce of their parents, but children with special needs are often more vulnerable to the changes and stress that often accompany the divorce process. As such, divorcing parents with special needs children are encouraged to go the extra mile to help their child cope. The following can help you learn some strategies to use with your child, and it can help you discover how an experienced divorce lawyer may be able to help.
Discussing the Divorce with Your Child
Divorce is about the parents, and their need to separate. However, children are still greatly impacted by divorce, which is why parents are encouraged to speak to their children before the process starts. Of course, talking to a special needs child is going to be different than talking to a child without special needs.
Honesty is typically the best route, but certain things will need to be considered, such as the developmental age of the child, the coping ability of the child, and the child’s overall understanding of their family’s structure before deciding on discussion points. Also, if possible, both parents should be present at the time of the discussion.
When the bills are piling up and the collectors keep calling, almost any solution can seem like a relief. However, debt relief solutions are not created equally. In fact, some may do more harm than good. Such can be the case with debt settlement. Learn more about this debt relief option, including how it compares to bankruptcy, with help from the following information.
What is Debt Settlement?
Debt settlement is usually done by a third-party entity, which debtors pay for, but it can also be done by the debtor. It involves contacting creditors and then “striking a deal” (usually a lump sum payment) to clear the debt. Once the agreed upon amount is paid, the remainder of the debt is forgiven. Considering all this, debt settlement can seem like a viable alternative to bankruptcy (which it sometimes is), but in most cases, it pales in comparison.
Bankruptcy versus Debt Settlement
Divorce, in and of itself, is a complex and difficult process. However, those that are incarcerated may find obtaining a divorce nearly (if not completely) impossible. They may lack money or resources to hire an attorney or file the paperwork. Transportation can also be difficult to come by, especially since these court proceedings are not related to their criminal case. Thankfully, it appears the Chicago courts may have a solution. Learn more with help from the following information, and discover what an experienced attorney may be able to do for you during your divorce – even if your spouse is currently incarcerated.
Disadvantages of Imprisonment Mostly Impact Women
Although men are certainly at a disadvantage in family courts while they are incarcerated, the biggest impact seems to be on women. They tend to have fewer visitors in court, so they may not have someone on the outside to help them navigate through the red tape of divorce. Also, they tend to have more complex issues when it comes to child-related matters. As such, the program is focusing mostly on incarcerated women wishing to seek a divorce.
Welcoming a child into the home, either by birth or through adoption, is a joyous experience. Unfortunately, when it comes to adoption, that joy can be overshadowed by the concept of a home study. A process that requires transparency, honesty, and a willingness to work as a team, the home study ensures that a placement is safe and stable. It also helps to build a relationship between the prospective parents and adoption social worker. Learn more about preparing for the adoption home study process, and discover how an attorney can help.
The Anatomy of a Home Study
On average, it takes anywhere from three to six months to complete the home study process. During that time, information and several documents will be collected. Most will include:
Deciding to file for divorce is not an easy decision, and the common myths about divorce rarely make it any easier. For example, a couple that still cares for one another may fear divorce because they believe it will ruin the friendship they still have. Alternatively, fathers may be afraid to file for divorce because they think they will not receive a fair amount of time with their children. Thankfully, these common divorce myths could not be further from the truth.
Illinois is Not a 50-50 State
Perhaps one of the most common divorce myths in Illinois is that assets are divided equally, right down the middle. While this may be the case in other states, Illinois is an equitable distribution state – not an equal one. Essentially, this means that assets are divided “fairly.” What is fair, exactly? That is typically determined by looking at some specific guidelines, such as the duration of the marriage and the contributions of each spouse. From there, couples can either agree upon a “fair” distribution in negotiation, or they can take the matter to court.
Dividing a retirement account during divorce is an exacting matter, with numerous pitfalls to avoid. Any failure to do so can result in a significant financial loss to one or both divorcing parties. Learn how to avoid the most common IRA division mistakes made during divorce, and discover how an experienced attorney can help with the process.
Dividing the IRA Before the Divorce is Final
IRAs, when disbursed, are considered taxable income by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Divorce does receive a special exclusion, so there are no penalties for either party. However, the split of an IRA account must be justified with a divorce decree. Without it, the division becomes subject to fees and penalties. That is not to say you cannot make an informal agreement with your spouse, or that you cannot discuss or determine how the account will be divided once the divorce has been finalized; such information can be sent to the courts for approval. Instead, it simply means that you cannot divide the IRA until you have a final decree.
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