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Managing life and the kids during and after divorce can be stressful, especially in the beginning. Thankfully, with a few good tips and a little time, everyone starts to find their new routine. Learn more how to improve the back-to-school transition while going through a divorce, and discover how an experienced attorney can smooth the process for everyone involved.
Start with Realistic Expectations
Unrealistic expectations can be extremely toxic to the co-parenting process, and can often lead to arguments, hurt feelings, and coping problems. As such, parents are encouraged to be patient with one another (and themselves) and understanding with their child. After all, everyone is trying to adjust to a new life, and it takes some time to accomplish that.
Developing Your Strategy
Every family is unique, which is why every parenting plan should be carefully thought out and tailored to meet the specific needs of the involved parties. Consider your schedules, your child’s activities, possible issues that may arise, and how you will handle them. For example, if you and your spouse both have high-demand jobs, you may need to consider how your child will get to and from flute practice if you are both tied up at work. Of course, you might not ever need your worst-case scenario strategies, but it is still good to have them in place.
Divorce can be painful and, in some cases, traumatizing. How do you cope? A new study suggests that narrative expressive journaling may help. Learn more about coping with the divorce process, and the potential benefits of journaling while working through it, with help from the following information.
What is Narrative Expressive Journaling?
Narrative expressive journaling is different than other types of journaling. It requires the writer to consider how they are feeling and to turn those feelings into a sort of story. You do not need to be a storyteller to do it, however, because the process is more about honing in on the deeper, more complex emotions of divorce and finding a way to express them in an organized and structured manner. Why is doing this so important? Experts say that, unlike traditional journaling, narrative expressive journaling encourages you to process the emotions, rather than simply re-experience them, which can trigger or exacerbate stress and other negative emotions during the coping process.
Filing for bankruptcy has never been “easy,” but changes over the last several years have made the process even more complex than it used to be. Now, consumers must attend both credit counseling and debtor education before they can receive a bankruptcy discharge. Learn more about these counseling requirements in the following paragraphs, including how they are different and what you can expect during the process.
Why Counseling is Required
Most consumers would rather stay out of debt and avoid bankruptcy, but without the right tools, strategies, and information, doing so can be extremely difficult – especially in a world where credit is necessary for almost everything. Seeing the disconnect, the U.S. Government decided to put a new requirement in place; all debtors would need to attend counseling to improve their understanding of credit, debt, and how to manage it all wisely.
Of course, the one thing this requirement fails to account for is that not all consumers go bankrupt because they are poor planners. Instead, debtors may experience a work injury, auto accident, or some other catastrophe that throws them off track. Others may suffer a loss of employment, through no fault of their own. Still, the act of going through counseling can be beneficial; it can help debtors better prepare for such situations in the future, perhaps through a savings account or some other form of emergency planning.
Parents know that divorce can negatively impact their children, which is why most will go to any lengths to protect them. Nesting divorce – an arrangement in which the children keep the home, and the parents rotate in and out – is one of the most recent strategies for minimizing the potential damage. Is it beneficial though, or is it more of a hindrance for young children?
Potential Advantages of a Nesting Divorce
Most children can benefit from a healthy and continued relationship with both of their parents after a divorce. Nesting divorce not only encourages this relationship, but it also carries that relationship out in a familiar setting. Parents can maintain schedules and minimize changes (i.e. school, home, friends, etc.) immediately after the divorce, which may also assist the child with the coping phase of a divorce. However, experts believe there may be areas where the purported benefits of nesting divorce are over inflated.
Every marriage has its ups and downs, and every married couple has their issues, hang-ups, and disagreements. Although those spats and low points can get pretty intense, and may even teeter on the edge of volatile, not every rough patch ends in divorce (nor should it). However, there are situations in which divorce may be the best option. How does one tell the difference? According to therapists, and in our own experience, some key signs may indicate a marriage is headed for divorce. Learn more with help from the following information.
Constant Fighting and Changes in Communication
While many couples go through periods of excessive arguing, those that seem to drag on for extended periods of time can be a good indicator that a marriage may be headed for divorce. If the arguments are also paired with a change in communication (i.e. yelling between partners that do not normally yell), things could be headed for an explosive end in the very near future. Therapists suggest seeking marriage counseling, but those that have marriages with any form of abuse (including mental and emotional abuse) might want to consider ending the relationship.
Spousal support, though less frequently awarded in divorce than it used to be, is still an option for disadvantaged spouses. However, many things have changed over the last few years. For example, more women are the primary breadwinners in their families, so more men are pursuing spousal support. Another major difference is that the formula for calculating alimony changed back in 2015. Discover how to tell if you may be eligible for spousal support, and how it is calculated in an Illinois divorce today.
Are You Eligible for Spousal Support?
Despite the common misconception, alimony is not always awarded, just because it is requested. Instead, spouses who wish to receive alimony must fit a few criteria before they are considered eligible by the courts. For example, the courts may award alimony when:
Filing for bankruptcy can give you a fresh start, a chance to turn your finances around for the better. Unfortunately, there are some debts that cannot be discharged. For example, some people cannot include their student loans in their bankruptcy– but including your student loans in a bankruptcy filing is not impossible. Learn more about how to improve your chances of having your student debts discharged, and how an experienced attorney may be able to help.
Getting Your Student Loan Debt Discharged
Although the bankruptcy code does bar the inclusion of federal aid student loans, it does not explicitly exclude all student loans. In fact, some consumers have won against student money lenders in court by explaining that their student funds were acquired through a private lender. Another strategy to have at least some of your student debts discharged is to examine how the funds were spent. The bankruptcy code states that the funds cannot be included if they were part of the cost of tuition; use of the funds for other items (i.e. a computer that was not required for attendance) related to school may allow for at least a partial discharge.
Life after divorce can be hectic, especially if you share children with your ex-spouse, but a new phone application is trying to make it a little easier. Designed to help divorced parents manage their children’s schedules from two completely different homes and devices, it is revolutionizing divorce. Learn more about the application and how you can incorporate it into your Illinois parenting plan with help from the following information.
How the App Works
Developed by a divorced Florida dad of two, the application is named Fayr, and it can track everything from time sharing to schedule changes, all in real time. It also permits the exporting of court documents, location check-ins, and can keep track of child-related expenses. Families who are using it sing its praises, saying it helps keep everyone organized – even the kids. Currently available on iOS for a monthly subscription fee, and set to release for Android at the end of 2017, it can also easily be incorporated into an Illinois parenting plan.
The decision to file for bankruptcy is not one easily made. It requires a debtor to take an honest look at their situation and admit that they need help. Filing for bankruptcy can also cause feelings of guilt, and it may negatively impact your credit score. How do you rebuild it, and how long does it take? The following provides some advice and guidance on this issue and explains where you can find assistance with your bankruptcy needs.
How Does Bankruptcy Affect Your Credit?
When you file for bankruptcy, your credit does take a hit. Furthermore, the bankruptcy stays on your credit for a total of 10 years. However, the damage is not as extensive as most people think. Yes, bankruptcy might make you a subprime borrower, but you also cannot file for bankruptcy again for another eight years if you file Chapter 7. Also, if you file Chapter 13, your debt-to-income ratio could be significantly decreased over the course of just a few years.
Divorce can have a long-term impact on your finances. In fact, even financially savvy individuals can experience a massive depletion of their income and resources. Thankfully, there are ways to mitigate against some of the damage. Learn more about the most common money mistakes in divorce, and how to avoid them, with help from the following information.
Overlooking Some of Your Assets
Couples going through a divorce often think to include the house, vehicles, retirement accounts, and bank accounts in their marital estate, but there are other, less common assets that may be overlooked. Examples can include valuable artwork, jewelry, or furniture; fan collections (i.e. baseball card collections); savings bonds; and investment real estate. Avoid making this same mistake by going through all your financial information. Look for long-forgotten items that are meant to accrue interest. Then look around your home. If you are in doubt about whether an item is valuable, consider having it appraised.
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