All posts by Abear Law Offices
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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Two Homes Can Be Better than One for Children of Divorce
Life can get very confusing and complicated for children of divorce. Even in the best of situations, children can often feel like mere assets to be divided by their parents like furniture or cars. Regardless of how you feel about your ex during and after the divorce, it is extremely important that your children’s comfort and well-being are not overlooked.
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Guardian Ad Litem’s Purpose in a Custody Battle
In some custody cases, a Guardian Ad Litem (GAL) is appointed to add a non-biased opinion on the matter. It is important for both parties to understand the GAL’s job, focus, and the weight of his/her decision before deciding whether to ask for this form of advocacy in a child custody case.
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Divorce May Cause Weight Gain in Men
Experts sometimes compare the psychological stress of divorce to that of the death of a close family member. The effects can be severe and the emotional scars can take years to heal, if they ever do. Weight gain is a common side-effect of stress so perhaps it may be somewhat expected for a person going through a divorce to put on a few pounds. What may be surprising, though, is that after a divorce, men seem to gain more weight than women.
Legal Separation May Be an Option
When a marriage seems to have failed, many couples assume that divorce is not only inevitable, but the only available solution. For a large majority of couples in that situation, divorce may, in fact, be in their long-term best interest. In some cases, however, one spouse may instead wish to file for a legal separation.
Signs Your Spouse May Be Hiding Assets
In many marriages, one spouse is primarily responsible for the household finances. The other spouse may have a vague idea of the income and expenses of the family, but is often unaware of many of the details. An arrangement of this type may work just fine when both partners are fully vested in the best interests of the marriage. If, however, the relationship deteriorates and divorce becomes a possibility, the spouse controlling the finances may start trying to take advantage of the situation by hiding assets.
Modification of a Child Support Order
There are an estimated 24 million children in the United States currently being raised in single-parent homes. While this may not represent every child of unmarried or divorced parents due to the nature of the study, it clearly indicates that a large percentage of American children may be subject to shared custody, visitation and child support arrangements.
Protecting the Best Interests of Children, Part 2: Attorney for the Child and Child Representative
There are times when divorcing parents allow their own emotions to cloud their judgment related to what is best for their children. It is most often unintentional, but if not addressed, can have serious long-term consequences. Unfair or lopsided custody and visitation arrangements could result, for example, in one parent overwhelmed by responsibility while the other feels alienated. Possible negative effects are definitely not limited to the adults, and in fact, may be even more severe for the children.