Posted in Divorce, Domestic Partnership, Financial on Oct 7th, 2011
This post on US News’s “Money” site is actually just about a year old, but the advice is absolutely apt. I encourage you to visit the original article because there’s some good food for thought with the description of each mistake. Here they are, in brief:
Not talking about finances.
Combing accounts too early.
Sharing credit cards, real [...]
Posted in Divorce, Domestic Partnership on Sep 22nd, 2011
This release from the Association for Psychological Science offers some valuable insight into what individuals going through a divorce can do to feel better. Citing a study that will be released in Psychological Science–the association’s journal–the finding is that “self-compassion” predicts better adjustment after the divorce and up to nine months later. Self-compassion in this [...]
While the filing deadline for Federal income taxes passed a few days ago, this piece on Time.com offers tips on some issues that often come up for divorced folks. One highlight: In certain instances, married folks can file as “head of household”. Happy reading…and be sure to consult a tax professional for tax advice
This “Tax Talk” question on the Yahoo Finance site does a pretty good job summing up important information on dividing an IRA (”individual retirement account”) in a divorce. This is sometimes a tricky topic for clients.
In a divorce, the first issue is what is legally-appropriate division of the retirement account, if any. Sometimes it’s preferable [...]
Posted in Divorce on Mar 9th, 2011
This is an except of a new book, “The Good Divorce: How to Walk Away Financially Sound and Emotionally Happy”, by matrimonial attorney Raoul Felder and Pulitzer Prize-nominated author Barbara Victor. It gives a difficult subject very thoughtful treatment. I’m thinking I’ll read it to see if it is worth recommending to clients.
Posted in Divorce on Mar 3rd, 2011
This page in CNN’s living section is about a couple who rehearsed how they’d tell their children about divorce and ended up working through their differences.
Communication, particularly differing styles, is often an issue in marriage. The paradox is that it’s also a key ingredient for a good divorce. For this couple, I was struck by [...]
Posted in Divorce on Feb 17th, 2011
This piece is another from the UK; it describes the “starter marriage” phenomenon in the UK. (Interestingly, this book about the same phenomenon came out in the US nearly ten years ago!).
The author offers a few possible explanations for why folks in their twenties, married fewer than five years would want to end the marriage. [...]
Posted in Divorce on Feb 17th, 2011
This article on the BBC News site reports that there was a 6.4% drop in divorces between 2009 and 2010, and that the number of couples divorcing has fallen for six years after its high in 2003. Divorce rates are highest for those in their twenties, with rates of 21.7 men divorcing per 1,000 married [...]
Posted in Divorce, Domestic Partnership, Financial, Prenuptial/postnuptial on Feb 7th, 2011
This post on HuffingtonPost.com and this piece on Oprah.com (from the February 2011 issue) both have good–and similar–advice on how to handle financial issues going into a relationship.
The bottom line is that it’s best to talk about these things upfront, when you’re looking at moving in together or getting married, rather than later [...]
Posted in Collaborative Law, Divorce on Feb 7th, 2011
This post on HuffingtonPost.com offers a great explanation of the strengths of collaborative law. In a nutshell, the advantages are that the emphasis is on crafting a settlement (rather than preparing for a trial that is unlikely to happen), that information is freely exchanged (rather than “compelled” through an expensive, formal process), that the “experts” [...]
This story on the Seattle Post-Intelligencer’s website is about the huge increase in Clark County, Wash., divorce filings over the last several years.
Apparently, in 2006, there were 2,058 divorce filings and there were more than 3,000 in 2010. That’s a huge increase and it sounds like it’s presenting a challenge for the court–including creating [...]
This story is about the rapidly increasing rate of divorce in China: It’s up to about 20%, which is double what it was ten years ago. Speculation as the reason for the increase ranges from China’s booming economy to single-child selfishness. Very interesting!
In this post, attorney-mediator blogger Laurie Israel cautions readers to not let their attorney hijack their divorce. Interesting advice, from an attorney.
But, she has a point. Lawyers are–to borrow a term from economics–"repeat players" in the divorce process. They’ve handled many cases and can have "their" way of doing things. Personally, I aim to collaborate [...]
Posted in Divorce on Nov 9th, 2010
HuffingtonPost.com has added a “Divorce” section to its website. Check it out, here. I see it as an indication of the increasing cultural recognition that divorce happens and that its effects are broad.
Posted in Divorce, Financial, Prenuptial/postnuptial on Nov 4th, 2010
This story has recently surfaced about a British Airways pilot in the UK, who has been arrested on suspicion of murdering his estranged wife. The pilot, married to heiress Joanna Brown, is suspected of killing Ms. Brown following a change in British law that would have made the provisions in the couple’s pre-nuptial agreement likely [...]
Posted in Divorce on Oct 29th, 2010
My last post was about what folks were anticipating with New York’s transition to becoming a “no fault” divorce state. For some perspective, here’s an article from the summer that describes the potential benefits of the law.
When New York was a fault state, one spouse had to prove certain behavior on the part of the [...]
This story is about a big change in New York.
Apparently, as of today, New York is now a no-fault divorce state. New York was the last state where someone had to state grounds such as abandonment, abuse, adultery, or cruelty in order to move forward with a divorce. Now, like Washington, it is enough for [...]
Posted in Child Support, Divorce on Oct 11th, 2010
A colleague let me know about this essay on Salon.com. It’s an interesting peek into a lawyer’s brain (not mine!) and highlights the emotional difficulties that can arise when something as unique and complicated as one family’s situation intersects with the homogenizing nature of the rule of law. The author also captures some of the [...]
Posted in Divorce on Oct 5th, 2010
This story on CNN.com takes on the subject of how children of divorced parents are approaching their own marriages. It highlights the statistic that, generally, a person is more likely to divorce if he or she had parents who divorced. I liked the example of Zulema, who not only “intended” for her own marriage to [...]
This story is about how the substitution of “inclusive” for “exclusive” majorly changed the post-nuptial agreement at issue in the divorce of the Dodgers’ owner, Frank McCourt. Making that change characterized the team as McCourt’s separate property and not as joint property. Ms. McCourt had believed that the agreement said the team would be joint [...]
This article, a Forbes blog piece, provides an interesting peek into the marital habits of billionaires.
Apparently, if you’re looking to marry Prince Charming, you need to be in the right place at the right time. According to the piece, “the serially divorcing billionaire is a unicorn, a myth. Most filthy rich men are fairly monogamous.” [...]
This piece on CNN.com captures a trend in Japan: Divorce ceremonies.
While the idea of a divorce ceremony can sometimes evoke images of an anti-wedding, I think the underlying emotional motivation makes sense. The piece notes “…when it came to settling the heartache over the end of her eight-year marriage to Taka, the legal system [...]
Posted in Divorce on Aug 27th, 2010
Here is a short bit on Yahoo News about Tiger Woods’ golf game now that his divorce is finalized. Apparently, Woods is playing quite well, although he isn’t attributing it to the end of the divorce process. (I have to think that, while he might not be consciously relieved, he certainly could be on a [...]
This story offers a new twist on marriage and inappropriate Facebook disclosure. The list of “don’t do its” is so long, and obvious, that I won’t spoil the story by saying any more…
Jokes aside, there hasn’t been such a thing as divorce insurance.
Until now, apparently.
This story about a company that is offering to pay you a sum upon divorce based on the number of credits you buy. I can see that making sense, but I wonder: In Washington, wouldn’t that benefit be considered community property and [...]
This short piece sums up some of the financial benefits that can come from working with an accountant or financial planner. As an attorney, I can help clients be aware of some of the financial trade-offs that come with an asset. It’s great when clients decide to seek the additional input of financial professionals because [...]
Posted in Child Support, Divorce, Financial, Mediation on Jul 20th, 2010
This piece is about a couple who is divorcing, has decided to still live in the same house (because they can’t sell it) and is trying to negotiate spousal support and child support. They’re using mediation to work through these issues, which is great, although they learned that avoiding court doesn’t always mean avoiding conflict. [...]
Posted in Divorce on Jul 20th, 2010
This story on ABCNews.com’s site is about how the “idea” of divorce can spread. The title: “Is Divorce Contagious?”
The piece is interesting, although I have to admit that I don’t find it that surprising. Humans are social animals, and psychological research (such as these conformity studies) shows just how influenced folks are by what’s happening [...]
Posted in Divorce, Domestic Partnership, Parenting on Jul 2nd, 2010
Here is a story about parenting and divorce. Long story short, it’s conflict that is hard for kids and not divorce. To quote study researcher Constance Gager, “Don’t stay together for the sake of the children if you’re in a high conflict marriage.” Divorce may be difficult for kids in the short term, in [...]
Some version of this story has been going around: Namely, divorce lawyers look to Facebook to see what information about themselves folks (usually the opposing party) are making public. The example the story offers is this: “Forgot to de-friend your wife on Facebook while posting vacation shots of your mistress? Her divorce lawyer [...]
While there was obviously speculation in the past about whether Elin Woods would choose to move ahead with divorce, the speculation now is about when the divorce will finalize and what she’ll receive. Apparently, a figure of $750 million made the rounds, but here is a story that suggests that figure is high (and explains [...]
Posted in Divorce on Jun 3rd, 2010
I’ve posted a few different stories about poor choices made by users of social media applications in announcing a separation. I’ve posted as well about lawyers using these programs to dig up dirt about an opposing party. In this story on CNN.com summarizes where we find ourselves half a dozen years after Facebook changed how [...]
Inc.com has this article about protecting your business from divorce. It’s got some good basic information, although I wouldn’t say that Washington is really a 50-50 state…it depends on the case. The author is a certified divorce financial analyst, and it’s great to see their expertise coming into mainstream media.
See this story about two attorneys who managed to make it through a major case in their career…while in the process of divorcing each other. That’s focus!
This story on Austin, TX’s “News8Austin.com” site is some good news about Collaborative Law getting some coverage.
Collaborative Law is a process where the parties to a case, which is often a divorce case but doesn’t have to be, decide to commit to resolving the case outside of court. That commitment is documented in the “Collaborative [...]
Posted in Child Support, Divorce, Domestic Violence on Mar 4th, 2010
Today’s big divorce news is that Allen Iverson’s wife filed for divorce.
This story gives the rundown: Iverson and his high school sweetheart (Tawanna) married about 9 years ago. They have five children, the oldest of which is 15, and so there are parenting and child support issues. There are homes to allocate and Tawanna has [...]
Posted in Divorce, Domestic Partnership on Mar 4th, 2010
This story cites newer studies, the results of which are that living together before marriage doesn’t necessarily increase the risk of divorce. The old news was that having lived together before marriage meant that a couple was more likely to split up.
The take home lesson? “It’s couples who give into the urge to merge households [...]
Posted in Divorce on Feb 26th, 2010
Tiger Woods made a very public apology for his infidelity, and if you didn’t happen to catch that anywhere else, you can find it here.
As you may have noticed, his wife Elin was not present.
After months of speculation as to whether she would (or wouldn’t) end the relationship, there haven’t been any divorce filings. This [...]
Posted in Divorce on Feb 26th, 2010
Huffington Post has this story about the possibility that South Carolina’s Governor Sanford’s divorce proceedings may be televised. Live. (If you remember, Governor Sanford had said that he was off to hike the Appalachian trail when he was instead headed to South America to be with his mistress.)
It turns out that Ms. Sanford’s testimony was [...]
Although it’s been up for a few weeks, this article on MSN Money is still worth reading. It sums up the change in interests from keeping the family home to being free of the family home, and it points out a fact that clients are often surprised by. I’ll cut to the chase: Signing a [...]
Having just celebrated a belated Christmas with my family, I’m “ok” to revisit some UK holiday gift ideas.
Not sure what to get your friend or family member who is contemplating divorce? The UK firm of Lloyd Platt & Company offered divorce advice vouchers for sale prior to Christmas. The firm, which typically charges almost [...]
Posted in Divorce on Jan 20th, 2010
Today’s “big” divorce news is that Dennis Hopper has filed for divorce…well, he actually filed last Thursday. There’s gossipy speculation as to what (or who) prompted the decision if you look for it. The overview is here. Given that Hopper and his wife have a six-year-old daughter, and that he’s focused the rest of his [...]
Here and here are short accounts of the Wynn break-up. Steve Wynn is a Las Vegas “Casino billionaire” and his wife Elaine has served on the company board.
Not only is the story remarkable for the value of the stock being transferred to Ms. Wynn–about $741 million–it’s also interesting because it’s the second time that the [...]
Posted in Divorce on Jan 7th, 2010
In the UK, the headline is “Divorce lawyers launch campaign to help couples end marriages more easily“. These lawyers are saying that couples should be able to end their marriage without blame and on the initiative of just one of the partners.
I think they’re on to something…it’s known Stateside as “no-fault divorce”.
In Washington, couples who [...]
“Record 11th divorce granted“. BBC News is reporting that a 50-year-old man in Jerusalem has been granted his 11th divorce. His dubious honor? He set a new Israeli divorce record.
Maybe the dating pool is a little different in Jerusalem, however I’d be awfully skeptical about marrying a man who has been divorced 11 time, who [...]
Entrepreneur magazine has some helpful information for divorcing business owners. It’s in print in their January 2010 issue. It’s online at Ugly Breakup.
The headline is “Governor Jim Gibbons’ divorce case: New documents show alimony, property values are sticking points“. As someone in this line of work, I have to say that there are innumerable names that could be substituted for “Jim Gibbons”. It’s not surprising when divorcing couples disagree on spousal support or property values. In this [...]
Posted in Divorce on Dec 22nd, 2009
Divorces blamed on Facebook is thesun.co.uk’s headline. ZdNet.com puts it as “Does Facebook really lead to divorce?”. Well, does it?
Apparently, the social networking site has been named in divorce petitions as a reason for splitting. I’m really curious to know where the researcher (hired by Divorce-Online) found these petitions; in Washington State, all the Petition [...]
I often quote my mother, who has said that “Truth is stranger than fiction”. In Tennessee, a divorce case inspired a movie script.
In this case, it sounds like an enterprising individual felt that his case had so many “twists and turns” that it would make a good movie script. The individual, John Lewis, has teamed [...]
Posted in Child Support, Divorce, Financial, Mediation, Parenting on Dec 16th, 2009
Do your financial homework before divorce is a recommendation that I can’t repeat often enough. While the piece was written by a CPA rather than an attorney, it’s got some helpful general advice, including thinking through the following questions before meeting with an attorney:
If you have children, what are your wishes regarding custody, visitation, and [...]
Posted in Divorce, Prenuptial/postnuptial on Dec 16th, 2009
The AP is reporting that Tiger’s wife Elin is seeking divorce. Citing ABC News, NBC News and People Magazine, the story reports that Elin Nordegren Woods intends to end her marriage to golfer Tiger Woods. Given the volume of news reports about his infidelity, as well as his own admission, it’s not a surprising choice.
An [...]
The first story on this page is a synopsis of case in North Dakota where that state’s Supreme Court is considering whether the $5,000 that Erik Isaacson spent on breast implants for his wife should be counted in their divorce settlement.
What I’d like to know is: How would you value implants? Fair market value upon [...]
Here is a story about the highest-value divorce award in Canadian history. A 61-year-old woman has been awarded $110,00 per month following the end of her 33-year marriage. While this sounds like a lot, her husband earns $4 million per year (or $333,333 per month). The judge stated that Ms. Elgner “should not have to [...]
Posted in Child Support, Divorce, Parenting on Nov 19th, 2009
Here is a New York Times story about fathers who have opted for DNA testing to get a definitive answer as to whether they are truly the fathers of the children they believe are theirs. Particularly with divorcing families, and the requirement that parents support “their” children financially, this raises some tough issues. Read the [...]
Here is a story that’s showing up a few places, including this story on ConnPost.com. The headline? “Govt may get billions under Forbes’ divorce decree”. It’s rare that divorce is business news!
Apparently, a Connecticut court has ordered Walter Forbes’ ex-wife to transfer ownership of two homes, as well as half their jewelry and art, back [...]
This is a story of “he said”/”she said” that must have more to it than the media is reporting.
A Pakistani court found in favor of “Zakia of Bund Road” and granted the divorce that she requested. Her allegations were that her husband, Pervaiz, was not treating her well. His version of the story is that [...]
Posted in Divorce on Oct 22nd, 2009
Connecticut is a small state; it’s ranked 48th in the U.S. in terms of the area it covers. However, it seems to have more than its fair share of dramatic divorces. (I’ve written about some others, and I’m tempted to create a Connecticut tag for entries because I know there will be more.) This particular [...]
Posted in Divorce, Offbeat, Prenuptial/postnuptial on Oct 22nd, 2009
This story is a short update on the Smith and Walsh-Smith divorce and, despite the title, YouTube has a minor role in the update. The news is that, on Wednesday, New York’s Appellate Division upheld a lower court ruling that granted the couple’s divorce and found their pre-nup valid.
If you’re an internet regular, you probably [...]
As have government entities in other countries, Malaysia’s state of Terengganu is now offering a three-day honeymoon package worth about $450 to help couples with marital difficulty reconcile and avoid divorce. While Malaysia did not reveal its divorce rate, the story describes the rate as “soaring”. Malaysia is a predominantly Muslim country, and it’s for [...]
Posted in Divorce on Oct 14th, 2009
According to this story, Spain’s acceptance of divorce is only second to Brazil’s.
The University of Granada’s Department of Sociology announced their finding that 79 per cent of Spanish people think that “when a couple is not able to solve their marital problems, divorce is the best solution.” Interestingly, based on the data in the study, [...]
Here in the Puget Sound area, many of the local counties require that parents in family law cases take a class to help them see things from the perspective of a child in the process, with the goal being that parents will know what to do to help their family successfully navigate the transition they’re [...]
Posted in Child Support, Divorce, Financial on Oct 14th, 2009
This story is the latest in the “Jon & Kate Plus 8″ (now “Kate Plus Eight”) divorce proceedings. While it sounds like the divorcing couple sought the services of an arbitrator to help resolve conflicts about how each used marital funds. However, Jon did not follow through on the arbitrator’s order to return $180,000 of [...]
Here is a little snippet about another way divorce is popping up in mainstream culture. Project Runway’s October 8, 2009 episode featured the challenge of having the designers cast on the show take divorcees’ wedding gowns and transform them into something new for their new life (after divorce).
If you want to spoil the surprise, you [...]
Posted in Divorce on Sep 29th, 2009
Hello out there!
With some big professional and personal hurdles coming up (including the Portland Marathon on the personal front), I’m on “blog-cation” for the next 10 days.
Bored in the meantime? Just see what comes up when you Google “divorce news”.
See ya’ in a bit! Adrienne
I’m just guessing about those two attributions in the header, although if you read the interview here, I’m betting you’ll agree with me.
The Huffington Post has this story about a couple who is in love and who made a decision to divorce because, for this rare pair, it’s actually financially beneficial to do so.
Following a series of incredibly costly medical issues, the couple is broke. They actually declared bankruptcy even before having to pay for her breast [...]
The article title: “Drunk Hubby Defecates In Cooking Pot.” This may be the most unusual reason for divorce I’ve heard; it competes with that of the German woman who divorce her husband because of his cleaning obsession. (The full story is here.)
I don’t know what Nigerian divorce laws are like, and–if the prolific email scams [...]
From the lovely Susan Carroll, and posted here, is another example of the terribly public and embarrassing things that can happen on Facebook.
Eek.
I remember when the “Dummies” book series first came out. I worked at a bookstore, and it did seem puzzling to me that consumers would be interested in a book whose title seemed to belittle their intelligence. However, now that the series has been out for over a decade, I do respect the authors’ ability [...]
Posted in Child Support, Divorce, Financial on Sep 9th, 2009
This story on the New York Post website claims that Jon and Kate Gosselin have made a “step forward” in their case. Considering that the story claims they’ll be finalizing the case at the end of the month, it sounds like they’ve made some significant progress in the case. (In Washington, this couple would need [...]
Posted in Divorce, Domestic Partnership, Offbeat on Sep 4th, 2009
On the lighter side…
I’ve posted previously about a UK attorney who encourages couples contemplating divorce to take dance lessons. Today’s news bring this story about “divorce tourism” in India. Yes, divorce tourism.
On one hand, the cynic in me says that a couple who is having problems may find the stresses of travel to exacerbate tensions. [...]
Posted in Divorce on Sep 4th, 2009
Cnn.com has this story about Nujood Ali, who has had life experiences beyond her years: Child bride at 10; child rape victim (by her much older husband); and now, at 12, a child divorcee.
Nujood lives in Yemen, where more than half of girls are married before the age of 18. The reason for marrying a [...]
Posted in Divorce on Sep 4th, 2009
Here, from the sunny locale of LA, is a story about divorce, infidelity, drug use and criminal prosecution in a matter where shareholders are demanding that Broadcom’s co-founder Henry Nicholas repay shareholders more than his net worth.
Nicholas and his former wife have over $1 billion in community property, which is likely the result of receiving [...]
I have an earlier post about tech-infused breakups, including those that happen by Facebook or by cell phone. Well, proving that the written word has power regardless of what medium it is transmitted through, Yahoo has this story about how passionate text messages sent to lovers can now be used as evidence against you in [...]
Posted in Divorce, Domestic Partnership, Parenting on Aug 20th, 2009
This story in the Chicago Tribune is about a six-week long class for divorced or separating parents, aimed at helping them focus on what’s best for their children. (Seattle’s King County requires parents to attend a four-hour class…I can only imagine what it would take to put together a six-week long class.) It’s great to [...]
Posted in Divorce on Aug 20th, 2009
Today’s celebrity divorce news is that Robin Wright and her spouse Sean Penn have decided to divorce. According to this story, they have filed for divorce or legal separation twice already in the 13 years they’ve been married. Will the third time be the charm?
“UPDATE”: If you’re interested, People.com has this story which claims to [...]
Posted in Divorce, Domestic Partnership, Parenting on Aug 17th, 2009
“Americans Marry Too Much” is the title of this story on Newsweek.com. Andrew Cherlin, a sociologist at Johns Hopkins University, has written a book entitled “The Marriage-Go-Round” that cites Americans’ divorce and remarriage as the cause for disruption in their children’s lives because of a “revolving cast” of parents, step-parents and live-in significant others.
An interesting [...]
Posted in Divorce, Domestic Partnership, Financial on Aug 14th, 2009
Here’s a short version of some divorce budgeting tips. The longer version is here. While not all of these steps may be possible, particularly trying to stockpile savings when going from one household to two, it’s worth considering what steps you can take!
1. Make order of the bills.
2. Organize important records.
3. Determine spending each month.
4. [...]
Posted in Divorce on Aug 6th, 2009
“When a series used to be cute and happy but now awkwardly navigates marital tension and divorce, who wants to watch it?” asks Katherine Nichols in the Hawaii Star Bulletin. I’m standing by my opinion that, despite some of the not-so-wise choices that Jon & Kate are making, their televised experience of divorce is one [...]
Posted in Divorce, Domestic Partnership on Aug 6th, 2009
This recently story in the New York Times describes the physical health impact of going from being married to being single (whether by divorce or a spouse’s death). Similar to some German research I heard about years ago, the impact of the loss of a spouse is one that lingers. And, apparently, it’s the loss [...]
It’s been a growing trend in America that adults “baby” their pets and consider them to be part of the “family”. I’m no different, although I do realize that the law treats pets as property in family law cases.
This story in the ABA Journal has the legal perspective on a recent court ruling regarding which [...]
Today’s posts are all over the map, both literally and figuratively. The first post of today was about the growing trend in an Afghan province of women choosing to divorce their husbands in a legal system where the men have nearly all of the control. Post number two is this collection of divorce cakes, which [...]
Posted in Divorce, Domestic Violence on Jul 22nd, 2009
Yahoo News has this story about the plight of Afghan women with violent husbands, and the trend of these women seeking to end their marriage rather than end their life.
The topic of divorce often evokes mixed feelings in America, but with 50% of marriages ending in divorce, divorce is far from the taboo that [...]
Posted in Divorce, Domestic Partnership, Financial on Jul 8th, 2009
Here’s some good, solid financial advice. It’s refreshing after the other two posts today about divorce drama and uncertainty. Here is a rundown of the helpful post-divorce financial planning steps.
Here’s the Cliff Notes version:
Start with a financial planner.
Talk with an estate planning attorney.
Make a guardianship plan for your kids.
Plan for special needs kids.
Re-visit insurance.
Review account [...]
Posted in Divorce, Domestic Violence on Jul 8th, 2009
I have a few Connecticut divorce blog posts so far, including a fairly recent one about Dr. Perricone and his wife (and the court’s decision to uphold the voluntary restraining order the former Mrs. Perricone signed) and an older one about round one of divorce proceedings in the David and Douglas-David case (where the UTC [...]
Posted in Divorce, Domestic Violence on Jul 8th, 2009
In general, I try to keep the tone of this site pretty light. My thinking is that getting through a family law issue is already tough stuff. There are silver linings to many clouds, and I try to show readers that lining when I can.
Unfortunately, however, there are some cases where the silver lining is [...]
Posted in Divorce, Financial, Prenuptial/postnuptial on Jul 2nd, 2009
In this story, Bloomberg.com reports that a UK court upheld a prenuptial agreement between a German heiress and a former banker. The court found that the agreement was entered into “willingly and knowingly by responsible adults”. In addition, the court found that the husband–who was challenging the agreement–had a “proper” understanding of it.
While this is [...]
Posted in Divorce, Domestic Partnership, Financial on Jun 26th, 2009
I like simple, helpful and easy-to-understand advice. MSN Canada features that in this story about how our global financial troubles are affecting newlyweds. Let me take their advice and make it even more simple…
Should a couple be:
Discussing financial compatibility before marriage?
Good idea!
Becoming more cautious about excessive spending that leads to high debt?
Good idea!
Averting problems that [...]
A British divorce attorney has apparently started advising clients to take up dance lessons if there’s a chance of reconciling. I’ll admit the Daily Mail headline, “The couple that sway together, stay together… TV divorce lawyer advises ballroom dancing to save marriage”, sounds like fertile ground for a number of snide comments (”TV divorce lawyer”–really?…”advises [...]
For the media sites I frequent, the “big” divorce news this week is that Jon and Kate Gosselin (of “Jon & Kate Plus 8“) are divorcing. The New York Times has a short story about it here. The story’s lede comments that “TLC is hoping there is happiness–or at least, good ratings–after divorce.”
While divorce is [...]
Posted in Divorce on Jun 17th, 2009
“Breaking up? Pregnant? Want a divorce? Send a text!”
With such a string of phrases, I didn’t need to make up a title for this post. Instead, the title came straight from this Yahoo Finance press release by a market research company focused on wireless/mobile research. Here are their findings:
Nine percent of U.S. consumers have sent [...]
Posted in Divorce on Jun 17th, 2009
From the perspective of the Internet, divorce news out of Connecticut is always so filled with money (and drama).
On Monday, Yahoo News ran this story about what “anti-aging and skin-care guru” Dr. Nicholas Perricone’s ex-wife could say about their relationship. Apparently, back in 2005, Dr. Perricone obtained a restraining order against his former wife, Madeleine [...]
Posted in Divorce on Apr 17th, 2009
A co-worker of mine turned me on to Cake Wrecks, a website that celebrates professional cakes gone horribly wrong. The site is hilarious, and now there’s a new batch of cakes that may show up: Divorce cakes.
Getting a divorce is a signficiant process, both legally and emotionally. Some individuals mark the end of the [...]
Posted in Divorce on Apr 17th, 2009
I’ve written in a previous post about various claims by researchers that they can predict divorce. Apparently, a US researcher claims that yearbook photos may predict divorce. See the story here.
The study started with an e-mail to 18,000 alumni, with only 428 people completing the survey. Of those 428 respondents, 79 were eliminated because of [...]
The May 2009 issue of “O” magazine features a short story entitled “Divorce, Interrupted”. Print media has caught up with electronic media in reporting that the current economic climate is affecting couple’s decisions to separate. The piece, which offers advice for couples “stuck together in splitsville” offers a new term for the new economic challenge: [...]
If you haven’t heard by now, Robyn Moore has filed for divorce from her very famous husband, Mel Gibson. US News is reporting the story with the headline “Mel Gibson’s Divorce: Priciest in Hollywood History”. Gibson’s wealth is estimated at $900 million, which gives the divorce case the dubious honor of being the highest asset [...]
Posted in Divorce on Apr 6th, 2009
This story is being reported by Reuters in its “Oddly Enough” section with the headline “Woman divorces husband for cleaning too much.” It’s a short story, so let me paste it here:
BERLIN (Reuters) - A German woman has divorced her husband because she was fed up with him cleaning all the time.
German media reported the [...]
Posted in Divorce, Domestic Partnership, Financial on Apr 6th, 2009
As of the end of the week, the stock market ended on an upturn. It gained for the fourth consecutive week, and it’s doing better than it has for the last seven weeks. I’m happy to hear this and I hope the trend continues.
Still, the market is down from its 2007 high of around 14,000 [...]
Posted in Divorce on Mar 26th, 2009
In case you weren’t sure, it’s a bad idea to choke your wife, regardless of what your shirt says.
Does seeing something everywhere make it “news”?
Lately there have been many stories about the George David divorce trial, including this one in the Hartford Courant and this older one on the CBS News site. The back story on the case is that 67-year-old United Technologies Corporation Board Chair George David is divorcing 36-year-old Swedish countess [...]