Monthly Archives: November 2014
Gray Divorce Is on the Rise
Divorced Americans age 50 or older currently outnumber widowed individuals in the same age group for the first time. The American Community Survey, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau, reports that more than 15 percent of the population over age 50 are divorced, while about 13.5 percent are widowed. The divorce rates in other age groups seem to have stabilized in over the last few years, but with “gray divorce,” the rate has risen dramatically.
Child Custody: Could You Handle Your Child Choosing Your Ex?
A family dealing with divorce must account for many considerations. The divorcing spouses need to decide who will keep the family home, which in turn decides who needs to find a new place. Property and assets must be divided equitably, and arrangements made regarding the children. When making decisions regarding child custody in Illinois, the court is expected to at least consider the wishes of the child as to which parent with whom they wish to live. For many divorced parents, it can be very difficult to find out that their child’s preference is the other parent.
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Infidelity: Could Your Partner Be E-Cheating?
For married couples, few obstacles are more difficult to overcome than infidelity. A straying partner can destroy trust and cause deep seated resentment that takes years to heal, if it ever truly does. In many cases, a single instance of cheating is enough for one partner to seek a divorce, and in Illinois, adultery is considered legitimate grounds for divorce. What may be more difficult, though, is deciding what constitutes infidelity in your relationship and how to recognize the signs it may be happening to you.
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Legal Paternity Helps Children, Paternity Fraud Does Not
When a child is born to unmarried parents, it is very beneficial to establish legal paternity. By doing so, the biological father of the child is recognized as the legal father, with all of the rights and responsibilities provided by law. There are several ways in which legal paternity may be established to provide for the best interests of the child. Unfortunately, there are also ways in which the system may be fraudulently used to force a man other than the biological father to assume financial responsibility for the child.
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Children of Divorce: Divorce May Affect Wealthier Children More
Nearly 900,000 divorces and annulments occur each year in the United States. Couples of all races, religions, and income brackets are divorcing at fairly consistent rate. One of the primary concerns about divorce has always been how children of divorce adjust to their parents’ breakup. New research, however, seems to indicate that children of divorce who come from low to middle-income families fare better after divorce than their higher-income counterparts.
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Social Network Users Could Be More Likely to Divorce
You are probably familiar with many of the names such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. It is very likely you use one or more of them on a regular basis, possibly several times per day. Keeping up with friends, sharing kids’ pictures with distant family, or even communicating with loved ones serving in the military have all been made infinitely easier by the advent of social networking sites. Unfortunately, there may be a downside to the social media information explosion. Evidence is starting to emerge which may show a link between social network users and an increased divorce rate.
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Alimony Laws in Illinois
Alimony is a difficult and confusing issue for all divorces. The current guidelines for judges to follow in order to decide and calculate alimony are ambiguous and uncertain. Divorcing spouses have little information to go on to guess what alimony will be. However, a new law that will go into effect in January 2015 will make alimony easier to calculate and much clearer.
Money Arguments Often Lead to Divorce
Money makes the world go round—and marriages. According to a recent Canadian survey found that “couples may be more willing to forgive a cheating spouse than to overlook money problems.” Trouble in relationships arises about disagreements in household finances, but the issue is even more devastating when it involves who is to blame when budgets go awry.
Relationship Development: What Factors Could Lead to Divorce
Decide to get married before living together; limit your sexual partners before marriage; and throw the big wedding. According to a recent relationship develpment study, following these simple ideas give couples a higher likelihood of “happily ever after” and tends to reduce the probability of divorce.
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Adoption: Access to Nonidentifying Family and Medical History
Many people see their family doctor at least once per year, whether or not they have specific health concerns. The visit typically consists of a basic physical examination and discussion about health habits and risks. Individuals take into account many factors, including their family medical history, when making lifestyle choices regarding diet, exercise, smoking, and the consumption of alcohol. When a child is adopted, however, especially if the adoption occurs at or very near birth, the child’s family medical history may not be easily available.
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