Divorces and Wedding Expenses
A study out of Emory University by Andrew M. Francis and Hugo M. Mialon takes a look at wedding expenses and divorces and finds some interesting relationships. You are more likely to get a divorce if...
View ArticleDivorce Quotes
“Basically it costs as much to get unmarried as it does to get married.” Bruce Cameron, Cameron Law PLLC, The Huffington Post
View ArticleWhen Even a Billion Dollars Is Not Enough
Sue Ann Ham was awarded nearly a billion dollars in her divorce from energy tycoon Harold Hamm in Oklahoma. But her attorney says that’s less than 6 percent of the couple’s estimated $18 billion...
View ArticleA Perfect Storm
There is a perfect winter storm of depression brewing. Got the blues? You are not alone. There are good reasons you may be feeling sad right now. Holiday Depression You may get depressed at this...
View ArticleHow to Repair Your Credit After Divorce
The good folks at Top Ten Reviews have published a guide on how to repair your credit after various financial disasters. Chapter 3 covers divorce. Best of all, the guide is free.
View ArticleAre Gifts Income?
Albert Mumma married Jean in 1952 and they had three children together. Albert supported the family as an architect. He had an office in Georgetown. In 1968 the parties had a violent altercation...
View ArticleInheritance as Income
Leroy and Mynell Gassaway married in 1952. They separated in 1979. In their DC divorce, the trial court divided marital property upon consideration of the fact that Leroy’s mother owned a house and...
View ArticleLoans as Income
The IRS does not consider a loan to be income. But if you own your own business, you can manipulate your income. So if someone owes you $50,000 for goods and services, you don’t bill them until next...
View ArticlePre-Divorce Checklist
The family law attorneys of Gower & Bluck put together this helpful infographic of ten things you need to do before you file for divorce.
View ArticleBreach of Promise to Marry
Professor April Domino looked over her horn-rimmed glasses at her Domestic Relations class. She wore navy pants and jacket with a bright red silk blouse. She used the Socratic Method, which is the...
View ArticlePostnuptial Agreements
A postnuptial agreement is just like a prenuptial agreement only it is made after the wedding. The parties may agree in writing after their marriage who gets what in the event of a divorce and the...
View ArticleUh, Oh, I Chose the Wrong Attorney
by guest blogger, B. Lyttle, who has over five years experience in law and finance writing, and is a contributor for the Santa Barbara divorce attorney firm. Getting a divorce is a tough situation for...
View ArticleValuing the Marital Residence
In Maryland divorces, the court is required to determine the value of marital assets including the marital residence. Enter the real estate appraiser. Appraisers say about a third of their business...
View ArticleEquitable Distribution in North Carolina
Guest Post By Brian King, Managing partner at the King Law Offices [Editor's Note: Maryland does not have a Plaintiff's Inventory Affidavit, but we do have a Financial Statement and a Joint Property...
View ArticlePrenup Lifestyle Clauses
Prenuptial agreements mostly deal with what happens in the event of death or divorce. But they can also be used to set up how a couple will handle their finances during the marriage. It is also...
View ArticleDecember or January Divorce?
Can’t stand living with your spouse for another minute? Don’t want to start another year with him or her? Geoff Williams, Reuters, writes on NBCNEWS.Com today that it may be to your advantage to wait...
View ArticleNegotiation Tip: Segregation
Some issues are just too big and complex to tackle all at once. What to do about the children is a good example. But you can eat an elephant if you take your time and take small bites. That’s what you...
View ArticleTax Planning for Divorce (Part 1-Filing Status)
Guest Post By John Ellsworth, Esq (Editor’s Note: Today we start a new series of articles about tax planning in your divorce.) If you and your spouse are separated but not yet divorced before the end...
View ArticleTax Planning for Divorce (Part 2-Exemptions for Dependents)
Guest Post By John Ellsworth, Esq You can continue to claim your child as a dependent on your tax return if the divorce decree names you as the custodial parent. This is a very important rule for you...
View ArticleTax Planning for Divorce (Part 5-Payments to Your Ex)
Guest Post by John Ellsworth, Esq Guest Post by John Ellsworth, Esq Guest Post by John Ellsworth, Esq. If you’re paying alimony, you can take a tax deduction for the payments, even if you don’t itemize...
View ArticleGray Divorce Statistics
The divorce rate for those over 50 years old doubled between 1990 and 2010. One in four people divorcing are over 50. The average retirement funds of a divorced person are $10,000 lower than average...
View ArticleThe Perils of Divorce Over 50
As the baby boomer population reaches retirement age, divorces are doubling. Call it a second midlife crisis. Whatever the cause, it can throw a monkey wrench into the best laid retirement plans....
View ArticleMulti-Billion Dollar Divorce
Reuters has a story this morning about the pending divorce of Harold Hamm, 67, one of the richest men in America, and CEO of Continental Resources. Sue Ann Hamm, 56, filed for divorce on May 19, 2012,...
View Article5 Tips on Choosing the Best Divorce Solicitor for You
Guest post by Camille Norest. (Editor’s Note: Across the pond they use solicitors but the advice applies to choosing a divorce lawyer here as well.) When going through a divorce, it is important to...
View ArticleRealtors Who Specialize in Divorce
The New York Times has an article today about real estate agents and divorce. In a divorce, someone is moving out, and frequently the house is sold. Real estate agents and brokers have to represent...
View ArticleA Stormy Divorce
Some people going through divorce will find anything to argue about. Stephen Benson, a 64 year old investment banker, settled his divorce with his wife of three years, Kim Charlton, 56, a former...
View ArticleSearch Federal Pay
Need to know how much a federally employed spouse makes for an alimony or child support determination? Just go to Search Federal Pay and type in their name. You will instantly see their salary and...
View ArticleArguing About Money
Sonya Britt, an assistant professor who has a PhD in financial planning, says the top predictor of divorce is arguments about money, after studying data from more than 4,500 couples. She said it...
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Paying for College
The divorce rate in America seems to be on a steady rise with almost 50% of marriages predicted to end in divorce. There are a variety of reasons for the rapidly growing number of divorce cases from...
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Do Economic Fators Contribute to Marriage Woes?
“Do Economic Factors Contribute to Marital Stability?” created and shared by CashNetUSA.
View ArticleThanks for the Divorce
It’s almost impossible to be thankful for your divorce when you are in the middle of it. “Why did this happen to me?” you’re are asking yourself. You look with envy at your friends who are having big...
View ArticleRising Home Prices Mean More Divorces
Mary Shanklin at the Orlando Sentinel reports that local divorce attorneys and real estate agents are seeing more unhappy couples calling it quits because home prices are rising. They can now get some...
View ArticleTax Planning for Divorce (Part 8-Retirement Funds)
Guest Post by John Ellsworth, Esq. Handle your retirement savings with care in a divorce as this is a very tricky area. If you cash out a 401(k) plan to give the money to your ex, for example, the IRS...
View ArticleJanuary Is Divorce Month
Many couples will file for divorce in January as they seek a new start in 2014. Some troubled relationships come to a head at the end of the year. The pressures of the holiday season build up. Or some...
View ArticleEconomic Recovery Means More Divorces
University of Maryland sociologist Philip N. Cohen has published a new study showing that the U.S. divorce rate dropped during the recession of 2009 to 2011 and is bouncing back for the economic...
View ArticleCrawford Credits
During their ten year marriage, Robert and Alice Crawford bought a house together as tenants by the entireties (a legal term for joint ownership by a married couple). They separated in 1977. Robert...
View ArticleTeen Sues Parents for College Money
by Nelson Garcia An 18 year old teenager from Lincoln Park, New Jersey has filed suit against her mother and father. She claims they tossed her out of their home and cut her off financially. She is...
View ArticleTexter Beware
Louis J. Billittier Jr. bought a diamond engagement ring for his fiancé. It was almost 3 carats and it cost him over $50,000. Then he broke off the engagement by text message. And he followed it up...
View ArticleThe Alimony Factors
Section 11-106 of the Family Law Article of the Maryland Code requires the court to consider certain factors in determining the amount and duration of alimony. This next series will take a look at the...
View ArticleThe Indefinite Alimony Exceptions
Since 1980 the law in Maryland has favored rehabilitative alimony over indefinite alimony. Rehabilitative alimony is for a fixed period. Indefinite alimony is until one of the parties dies or the...
View ArticleMaryland Alimony Factor #2
In order to make a fair and equitable alimony award, the divorce court judge must look at all the factors necessary, including the following: (2) the time necessary for the party seeking alimony to...
View ArticleIRS Loses Millions in False Alimony Deductions
When someone pays alimony they get a tax deduction for it. But the same amount should be included as taxable income on the return of the person receiving alimony. I think most divorce lawyers...
View ArticleIndefinite Alimony for 57 Year Old Wife
George and Betty Lou Blake had been married for 37 years. He was 56 and she was 57 when they got divorced. He made $42,500 a year and she made $20,000 a year. Courts now favor rehabilitative alimony...
View ArticleMost Expensive Divorce Ever
Dmitry Rybolovlev, one of the richest people in Russia, is about to set the record for most expensive divorce. A Swiss judge has ordered Dmitry to pay his ex-wife Elena a $4.5 billion divorce...
View ArticleUsing Bitcoin to Hide Assets
Bitcoin, a digital currency, can be used to hide assets in a divorce, warns Jane Croft in the Financial Times. Dishonest spouses are failing to disclose Bitcoin investments. Unlike bank accounts or...
View ArticleContribution to Mortgage Payments
Roger Broseus, Ph.D. married Isadel Broseus in 1970. They had a child in 1981. They jointly owned a three-bedroom house in Gaithersburg. In 1985 Roger took the minor child and left the martial home....
View ArticleThe Tale of the Two Kayaks and Other Divorce Trainwrecks
We went to a birthday party for one of our neighbors last night. Sooner or later at parties, people around me start telling me their divorce trainwreck stories. One woman told me about how she and her...
View ArticleCan Alimony Be Longer Than The Marriage?
Dr. Murray Malin, an anesthesiologist, was 38 when he met Marcie Minenberg, 27. She went to law school but did not pass the bar exam and was working in a jewelry store. They wed, had one child, and...
View ArticleMaryland Alimony Factor #6
The sixth factor the court has to consider in determining the amount and duration of alimony is “the circumstances that contributed to the estrangement of the parties.” MD Family Law Article 11-106(6)....
View ArticleWill Shoes Make the Difference in this Divorce?
I think my wife has a lot of shoes. But it is nowhere near Tracey Hejailan’s 80 pairs in one of her multiple walk-in closets in a house in Monte Carlo. She is divorcing her husband, multimillionaire,...
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