When going through a divorce, you might anticipate that the end will feel like a relief after all the pain and turmoil. The intensity and complexity of the divorce process can obscure the depth of your grief for a while. It’s easy to be blindsided by grief at unexpected times—even with your final decree…
When you get divorced, your marital settlement agreement (MSA), also called a divorce settlement agreement, is attached to, and incorporated into, your final judgment of dissolution. It becomes a court order and is legally binding. The terms of your MSA are critical. They will determine a lot about your post-divorce future (division of property,…
Many couples go into a marriage with the expectation of starting a family in the future, but unfortunately, a medical diagnosis such as infertility can pause those plans. Because of the issue’s complexity, infertility can be hard on couples and can impact many aspects of a relationship, and in some cases, it could lead…
Custody decisions are among the most difficult, delicate, frightening, and painful parts of a divorce process. Even the legal language surrounding it is incredibly fraught—after the agonizing decision that you’ll no longer live together, the idea that one parent would have only” visitation” can feel heartbreaking. When you get divorced, your relationship as a…
If you have a pet, you’ve likely formed deep emotional bonds with that animal. It’s not uncommon to hear Americans use terms like pet parent and fur baby. The 2021-22 National Pet Owners survey by the American Pet Products Association found that nearly seventy percent of U.S. households (90.5 million families) have pets. And…
When your marriage is ending, it’s not unusual to wish you’d never gotten married at all, have regrets, or even feel like you never had a “real” marriage. You may even wonder about annulment. What is the difference between annulment and divorce? The result of both is the same: they both terminate your married…
The divorce process is long, labor-intensive, and emotionally taxing—even when you both know it’s the right decision and desire a smooth, straightforward, and equitable resolution. You will have to sort through many complex and contentious issues, including the division of assets, spousal/child support, and custody/visitation. Inevitably, there will be times when you and your…
Family keepsakes are becoming a source of disputes in divorce, but due to their lack of monetary value, they can be hard to divide between the parties. In the most straightforward California divorces, couples equally divide their most valuable assets and move on with their lives. But what happens to those things that held…
With so many complicated issues to wade through during the divorce process, it’s easy to get caught up in the most obvious ones—the division of property, custody, spousal/child support—and forget about more peripheral concerns, such as insurance policies. The end of your marriage will likely have severe ramifications for your health insurance coverage—it’s crucial…
You’ve been unhappy for a long time. You’ve tried hard to make this marriage work but have felt the distance growing between you and your spouse. You’re at the end of your ability to stay in this painful situation. And yet the next step feels overwhelming, frightening, and seemingly impossible. How do you tell…
