Divorce

Have you come across the poem “There’s a Hole in My Sidewalk” by the late Portia Nelson? To me, it’s so profound that I’ve never forgotten it.  The idea of falling into a hole and finding the way out reminds me of making bad decisions, but eventually, with insight, learning to make better choices. Ideally, […]

Question: Last year my divorce with my husband became final and he started paying me child support for our two daughters. I’m going back to school, and the child support and alimony make up a lot of the money I get (I also work part-time). This is the first year I’m filing my taxes as

If you are coming out of a rough divorce, then spring cleaning is the perfect time to physically and metaphorically scrub away all the lingering bad memories of your marriage. Rooms, objects, and even décor all have the ability to absorb meaning, emotions, and memories. Walking into your bedroom may remind you of the fights

The U.S. military offers one of the best retirement systems in the world. After 20 years of service, a service member can retire and receive 50% of their base pay for the rest of their lives, with cost-of-living increases thrown in just for fun. If you are (or were) married to one of the estimated

All the Documents You Need to Prepare for Your Divorce One of the primary purposes of your divorce settlement is to divide your marital property between yourself and your spouse in a way that is fair and equitable. (Hopefully, you and your spouse can come to an agreement on what is fair and equitable through

Question: My husband was downsized from his job six years ago. We’d been paying an arm and a leg for childcare for our two young children, so we made the decision that he would stay home and care for them full time. In the meantime, my career took off. That was great for our bank

Here at WIFE, we write about divorce a lot. That’s because divorce is often the single most expensive life event a woman may experience. A divorce can change a woman’s financial trajectory dramatically, which often has negative consequences for her quality for life for years to come. With that in mind, we thought it would

If your husband owns a business, you may have a right to a portion of that business’s value if you get divorced. The key question then becomes, how much is the business worth? This can be a very difficult question to answer. A business is more than just the value of its equipment and furniture.

The decision to get a divorce will be one of the biggest and most consequential choices of your life. Your divorce will directly impact your finances, your quality of living, the lives of your children, and your own emotional health. Maybe you’ve already decided that a divorce is the right choice for you, or perhaps

Getting a divorce might be the right thing to do, but it will have a big effect on your children’s lives, creating uncertainty and possibly triggering a range of negative reactions. To lower the trauma of family change, you may want to stay in your current home, especially if you have primary custody of the

Debt is a reality for a large number of families in the United States. According to Nerd Wallet, the average American family is saddled with $137,063 in debt. With that in mind, we thought it would be useful to republish this article about how debt is treated in divorce. Did your husband just take out

As hard as it is to admit, you know that your marriage is heading toward divorce. As the realization sets in, it’s time to start planning how to get through this thing and on to the next chapter of your life. You probably have tons of questions, such as how much is it going to

Your “I do” has turned into “I don’t.” When you walked down the aisle, you envisioned a life of permanent marital bliss, but reality has not been so kind. It is now time to end your marriage. You want a divorce, but how do you go about actually preparing for this huge life change? In

The biggest mistake women make when they decide to get divorced (and most divorces are instigated by women) is that they fail to plan for their post-divorce life. This is understandable. The decision to separate from a marriage is highly emotional, and it can be difficult to focus on practical questions, such as how you

Divorce can be emotionally freeing for women, but it can also be financially devastating. Women, far more than men, face a stark plummet in their standard of living after divorce. That is why, if you are considering divorce, you must start planning right now for your post-divorce life. One of the most important questions you’ll

My husband and I are divorcing, and he says that unless I agree to split the property the way he wants, he’ll take me to court and the judge will order us to sell everything. Can he do that? First, we’re sorry that your husband has resorted to divorce threats instead of working with you

Divorce is expensive, so anything you can save on your taxes can help you rebuild your new post-divorce life. If your divorce was completed by December 31st of the prior year, then you may be able to take advantage of big tax savings if you meet the IRS’s qualifications as a “head of household.” By

Q: My husband left three years ago and is continuing to pay the mortgage. I want to sell [the house] so I can move, but he doesn’t. He doesn’t have enough money to buy me out or the credit to refinance it on his own. What do I do? ~ Brenda Brenda, we are sorry

If you want to keep your house after your divorce, you are taking on a big financial challenge! If you are like most Americans, your mortgage represents your largest monthly expense, and now instead of splitting it between two incomes, you’ll have to find a way to shoulder it all on your own. Still, many

Say it ain’t so! Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are getting divorced. Maybe you were originally on Team Jennifer when Pitt and Jolie got together, but you’ve got to admit the two Hollywood superstars seemed like a match made in gorgeous person heaven. After 10 years of dating (possibly a world record in Hollywood), Pitt

Not every marriage ends with an epic fight and an eternal hatred for one another that can never be quenched. In certain cases, a marriage can just quietly wither until one spouse (usually the woman) simply decides that she would be happier on her own. This is especially true of “gray divorces,” divorces that take

I am thinking of divorce, and I don’t know what to do about my credit cards. Will I be able to get credit after I divorce, or will I have to start over?

Q. My husband left me three months ago and now wants a divorce. Should I keep paying the mortgage on my house even though he could get half of it? A. It can certainly be financially difficult to carry the full cost of a monthly mortgage payment on your own! We definitely understand why it

Many divorces are downright nasty, especially if a lot of money is on the line. A high-earning spouse isn’t exactly happy to hand over his assets to his soon-to-be ex, especially if they live in a Community Property State that requires couples to equally split their marital estate. Hiding assets during a divorce is more

Even though you know that cheating is surprisingly common in marriage (just grab the latest People Magazine if you need a reminder), you never think that it will happen to you…until it does. According to TruthAboutDeception.com, estimates peg infidelity rates in the United States at between 30% – 60%.  It may be nice to know

Understand the Penalty for Hiding Assets During a Divorce You feel angry. Betrayed. Frustrated and furious. Divorce rarely brings out the best in us and oftentimes reveals our inner monsters. This is especially true if abuse and/or infidelity are part of the equation. Nonetheless, you may be obligated to hand over a significant amount of

The men and women who served in the United States military deserve our thanks and our support throughout their lives. That is why the U.S. government created the Veterans Administration in 1930 and gave it the mission “to serve America’s veterans and their families as their principal advocate in ensuring that they receive the care,

The decision to get divorced should never depend on whether you think you can afford it; however, it is important that during this emotional time you prepare yourself for the potential costs involved. One of the most popular articles on WIFE.org is The Twelve Financial Pitfalls of Divorce. The very first pitfall we wrote about

A house can mean a lot of different things to different people. For you, your home may mean stability. It can also represent an important asset, or consistency for your children during a difficult time. You may love your house for its proximity to your work, your family, or your children’s school. There are many

If you are finally wrapping up your divorce, you probably feel financially and emotionally exhausted, even if the process wasn’t acrimonious. It takes a lot of work to untangle your assets (and your heart) from another, especially if you were married for a long time. Now, you are facing a life that might look very