Posted on September 30, 2017 in Divorce

Divorce can be costly — often unexpectedly so. For example, the price tag of a two-day divorce trial can run to $25,000. Even a simple, uncontested divorce can cost more than a thousand dollars.

You do not want to make a difficult process worse by losing financial security. There are several ways you can save money during a divorce.

Eliminate as much emotion from the picture as possible

In divorce, too much emotion can be expensive. For example, if you are angry with your spouse, you may decide to fight for all of the assets and for full custody of the children. That is a lot of legal hours billed. Plus, after the divorce, you could end up with property carrying high taxes and that you cannot afford to keep. Overly intense feelings can cloud your judgment to a risky extent.

Seek out mediation services

It may seem impossible to leave emotion out of a divorce. After all, many separations are due to the feelings involved. Even if the split is amicable, you are likely grieving the promise of what could have been.

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 Posted on September 18, 2017 in Divorce

Unfortunately, marriage is not always easy. The sad truth is that not all marriages last until "death do us part." No matter how much love is present at the beginning, various things can lead to a marriage falling apart.

How exactly do couples go from being happily married to bitterly divorced? Here are some of the top reasons people end their marriages.

Poor communication

If people cannot communicate, they cannot grow together or solve problems. Healthy marital communication requires talking about hard subjects and working together to resolve issues. According to Marriage.com, making nasty comments, yelling at one another and not talking enough everyday can all result in couples growing distant and getting divorced.

Having unrealistic expectations

While couples should not settle, they should also not have ridiculous expectations. Marital expectations hardly ever align with realities. People who make too many assumptions are setting their spouses up for failure. Those with high expectations feel constantly let down unnecessarily.

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 Posted on September 11, 2017 in Divorce

Though couples join in matrimony hoping to have long, loving relationships, that does not always happen. While it is widely known that financial strains often result in marital troubles, people whose job's include the following factors also tend to have higher rates of divorce.

Travel

Military service is one of the main professions that experience higher levels of divorce. In part, this is due to the great amount of travel that these individuals must do. Especially when deployments keep the spouses away from each other for months at a time, the distance and lack of constant communication can take a toll.

Career stress

Career stress can affect individuals in various areas of their lives, but especially marital relationships. People spend the majority of their day at work, and if they work in high-stress environments, it is common to bring some of that stress home. Without proper relief practices, the stress can build up and individuals may take it out on the ones they love, which can lead to further issues.

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 Posted on August 22, 2017 in Divorce

You may have gotten your finances in order, found a new place to live or talked to your parents. But one step of divorce not to overlook in your preparation is deciding when and how to break the news to your children.

Your approach and timing can make a significant difference in how your children handle the divorce. Although your children's ages and maturity levels influence what you say, the following tips are applicable to any family.

Sit down with your children

Informing of divorce is almost always best to do in person once the decision is firm. Both you and your spouse should gather all your children and share the news together. Explain what divorce means, not just in general but also specific to your circumstances, such as who will be leaving or how long it will take. Allow your children to ask any questions they have and answer them.

You do not need to go into details of the reasons for the divorce. You can confirm any suspicions if you wish, but only give them as much information as they need. Once the divorce has long been over and your children are old enough to understand the truth, you can reveal more. Be fair in expressing the roles you and your spouse both played in the ending of your marriage.

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 Posted on August 08, 2017 in Divorce

Few people can honestly say that their divorce was completely without stress, but there are certainly steps you can take to prevent a tense situation from overwhelming your entire life. If you and your spouse realized that separating is the best option, it is imperative that you work together to find solutions that will help both of you stay sane and make it through the difficulties ahead.

The following are three of the most effective ways you can accomplish this. Approaching your divorce in a mindful and collaborative manner is the key to avoiding unnecessary drama, saving money and preventing a drawn-out battle in a courtroom. Consider the following tips for divorcing with minimal stress.

1. Find common ground

You and your ex likely still have considerable common ground. It may not seem like it, of course, but it is important to look for and find it whenever possible. According to Divorce Magazine, mediation is a great way to establish common ground with your ex, but simply initiating a conversation is a good place to start, too. Try to keep tensions low and identify common goals.

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 Posted on August 03, 2017 in Child Custody Mediation

Even if mediation helped you get through your divorce with minimal conflict and an amicable settlement, sometimes circumstances change. If your situation has substantially changed, you might be considering making modifications to your child custody order. If you and your ex are still willing to work together, post-divorce mediation can help.

Why go and litigate everything if you do not have to? Learn about the following circumstances in which modifying your parenting plan with the help of a mediator may be necessary.

1. Unstable environment

If your ex is the custodial parent and becomes unable to provide your child with a stable environment, you may want to pursue modification. Altering custody may be necessary if the custodial parent exhibits the following behavior:

• Moves frequently
• Abuses alcohol

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 Posted on July 17, 2017 in Child Custody Mediation

When you divorced, you may have considered or gone through divorce mediation as an alternative to a traditional courtroom divorce to save money and minimize strain on your family unit. Many people opt for child custody mediation for the same reasons.

Child custody mediation involves utilizing an impartial third party known as a mediator to help you and your ex-spouse work through custody, visitation and related issues. It offers many benefits, in that it:

Can be easier emotionally on children

Contested divorces can cause considerable family strife, and often, children are some of the biggest victims. When you go through a traditional courtroom divorce, you may find yourself embroiled in an “us against them” type of scenario. In mediation, however, you and your ex share a common goal: doing what is in the best interests of the children.

Does not involve placing blame

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 Posted on July 11, 2017 in Divorce

Even if two spouses are simply not right for each other, a divorce is still a difficult process to go through. Many end up having to deal with it, and in 2013, over 76,000 divorces took place in Texas, according to a report published by the Texas Health and Human Services.

Going through mediation is a good way to try to relieve some of the anxieties of a divorce. No matter how long this period of time takes, divorcing spouses often feel an array of emotions. It can be easy to think these feelings are unhealthy, but rest assured, it is completely normal to go through the following:

1. Missing numerous aspects of married life

Although divorcing couples rarely miss one another, they may miss certain aspects of the marriage, and that can be misleading. For example, a person may miss his or her in-laws or the neighbors at the old house. It is also easy to start missing a sense of certainty and routine in life.

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 Posted on June 20, 2017 in Child Custody Mediation

When you and your former spouse sat down to make a co-parenting schedule that worked for both of you, your child's life was quite a bit simpler. Now, though, there are after-school activities and social events that make your current parenting plan obsolete.

The good news is that modification does not have to be a big deal. Whether you used mediation during your divorce or not, it is an option for you now.

Discuss your teen's needs with your teen

Although ultimately the responsibility for the new schedule belongs to you and the other parent, your teen needs to be able to contribute. If you decide not to bring him or her to the mediation session, you should still get input about schedule preferences ahead of time so that these can be the starting point. The information you bring with you should include the following:

• How to balance peer and parent relationships so that neither suffer

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 Posted on June 19, 2017 in Property Division

You may have a good idea of which items you want in the divorce long before you sit down to work on the agreement. However, strong emotional attachments to personal property can get in the way of amicable negotiations, and you could even cheat yourself out of a fair deal if you inflate the value of an object simply because you want it.

A professional appraiser can identify the true fair market value of your antiques, collections, artwork and other personal items so you and your spouse can reach a settlement that is truly fair.

Inventory your household

To make sure that you do not miss anything, you and your spouse need to do a thorough inventory of your entire household. You should document items with pictures and a brief description. Those that may need an appraisal should also have details such as provenance, unique features and measurements that may make a difference in their value on the market.

Find an appraiser

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