Divorce

You look at your daughter happily playing with the dog. They have been inseparable ever since your daughter was born five years ago. Next week, for the first time, it’s going to be just you and the dog, alone in the house. Your daughter is going to her dad’s for the week.

When a divorce is imminent, each party might automatically try to protect their own interests. For some, money becomes the primary concern. While this is understandable, neither party should allow it to lead to them taking illegal steps to try to hide assets. Being aware of how this might happen may help you to spot issues with the financial aspects of the divorce. 

Being successful can have its drawbacks. It’s as if there were an inverse relationship between success and privacy: The more successful you get, the less private your life becomes.

Is the tendency to divorce something that’s passed down in your genetic code, like the color of your hair or your fabulous musical talent? Studies have indicated that the children of divorced parents are more likely to divorce themselves than children whose parents stay together, so you might assume that the likelihood of divorce is something that just gets handed from generation to generation.

Going through a divorce isn’t always simple, but since you and your spouse are willing to work together, mediation is something you should try. Mediation gives you the opportunity to work through disputes or disagreements with a third party present. That third party can give you information about the law and help you decide on the right solution to any disagreement.

When you had to provide a reason for your divorce and note that someone was at fault, it made it rather contentious. You essentially had to say that your spouse did something — like being unfaithful to the marriage — that made you want to end the relationship. Even if that allegation was true, people often don’t take kindly to being singled out in that way.

Are you trying to come up with a custody solution that really fits your children’s needs? Maybe you find it tough to pack everything up and move out of the house after your divorce. The kids really love the home, their friends, the neighborhood, their school, etc. They love having their own rooms where they feel comfortable and at home. You don’t want them to lose all of that.

Many children do face these changes in divorce. The parents sell the house and move into two new living situations. The kids go from one new home or apartment to the other. It’s a big change for them.

It may be unfair, but it’s true: The long hours that you put in building your career so that you can provide for your family can actually be held against you when you’re getting a divorce and trying to get shared or primary physical custody of your children.

Maybe you thought of your prenup as a necessary insurance policy in case things went bad — or maybe you had doubts about your relationship from the start. Either way, now that your marriage has crumbled, you’re glad that you have that little document safely tucked away. You’re counting on it to protect your interests during the divorce.

But is that prenup actually enforceable? These days, it’s very easy to hop online and fill out just about any kind of legal form you need. The only problem is that prenups must follow certain rules to be considered valid.

You’ve probably seen divorces on television that end up being litigated in the courtroom, in front of a judge. Those cases do happen, but there is an opportunity for your case to go a different route. If you and your spouse aren’t keen on taking your case to court, then you may want to consider mediation instead.