Posted on December 17, 2014 in Divorce

A new study has concluded what many people have suspected—and snickered about— for some time. Those May/December romances just do not work out in the long term, and the bigger the age gap, the higher the chance is for divorce.

Researchers from the University of Atlanta conducted a study, in which they surveyed 3,000 people. The participants were either married or divorced over the past five years and were asked questions pertaining to their marriage. Questions included duration of the marriage, and how long they dated their spouse, and the length of their engagement. The study was titled, "’A Diamond is Forever’ and Other Fairy Tales: The Relationship between Wedding Expenses and Marriage Duration."

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 Posted on December 15, 2014 in Divorce

A nationwide study, reported by The Huffington Post and conducted by Ohio State University, may encourage you to take a moment and thank your siblings for the success of your marriage. In fact, the study’s co-authors, Doug Downey, Donna Bobbitt-Zeher, and Joseph Merry, concluded that having multiple siblings can greatly reduce your risk of divorce.

The research trio, who analyzed compiled data of the General Social Survey, documented  57,000 personal participant interviews spanning the United States from 1972 through 2012. The data provided an informed consensus that for each sibling up to seven, the risk of divorce among siblings decreased by at least 2 percent per sibling.

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 Posted on December 10, 2014 in Property Division

Preparing for a divorce can be grueling. Not only are your responsible for “keeping it all together”—perhaps for the sake of the children involved or for your personal sanity—but there are additional tasks to undertake.

Aside from attending to the tasks related to the rearrangement of your personal life, meeting with your qualified family law attorney to discuss child support, visitation, spousal maintenance, and the division of marital property takes a lead position on your ever growing task list.

As your attorney advises you to gather all financial documentation in preparation of a fair and equitable divorce settlement, and per the previous recommendations of the American Insurance Association (AIA), a leader in U.S. property-casualty insurance trade, you should already have one document readily accessible.

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 Posted on December 08, 2014 in Child Custody and Support

Parents ultimately want what is best for their children and strive to provide that for them. Unfortunately, when it comes to divorce, emotions can influence decisions and cloud judgments. Additionally, children are the ones who end up suffering the most when this happens.

A family goes through several changes during and after a divorce, and it is important to remember the toll these changes can take on children. Anger, guilt, confusion, and fear are often felt by children of divorce. However, there are steps parents can take to help children acclimate to a new family situation and adjust to all of these changes.

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 Posted on December 03, 2014 in Divorce

A recent survey, titled “State of Dating in America,” concluded that 95 percent of men and 100 percent of women automatically define cheating as an act of physical infidelity. But, is this the only definition of cheating evident in today’s marriages? The answer is no. In fact, another form of cheating involves one spouse secretly involved in the practice of hiding assets. Highly illegal and unethical, this action by the offending partner may occur in response to a pending divorce and can be further compounded by heightened feelings of guilt, anger or betrayal. Additionally, this type of infidelity often leads to delays in the division of marital property and asset allocation.

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 Posted on December 01, 2014 in Family Law

According to the results of a recent study, couples in same-sex marriages have the same rate of breaking up as do couples in heterosexual marriages. The study, titled “Couple Longevity in the Era of Same-Sex Marriage in the United States,” was published in the October 2014 issue of Journal of Marriage and Family.

Researchers analyzed information gathered from consecutive surveys which had been developed for the “How Couples Meet and Stay Together (HCMST)” study. The HCMST study was conducted from 2009 to 2012 and involved 4,000 American adults. There were 3,009 participants who had a spouse or significant partner. Approximately 470 of those couples were same-sex partners.

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 Posted on November 25, 2014 in Divorce

Divorce does not necessarily have to dash your dreams of a college education for your custodial children. In compliance with Section 5 of the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act (750 ILCS),  the court may, if necessary, evoke the power to protect and promote the best interests of a child by establishing a joint or separately held trust specifically designated for the support, maintenance, education, physical health, mental health, and the general welfare of any minor child.

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 Posted on November 24, 2014 in Family Law

The millennials, the emergent consumer demographic, are changing the face of marriage. Noted in the abstract, "Fewer Marriages, More Divergence: Marriage Projections for Millennials to Age 40," authors Steven P. Martin, Nan Marie Astone, and H. Elizabeth Peters project that marriage for millennials will be at the lowest rate of any previous generation. And for those opting for marriage, a trip down the aisle may not happen before their 40th birthday.

Data derived from the American Community Surveys provided the basis for the analyses with a cross-check against the 2000 U.S. Census report. Additionally, the following projections were established:

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 Posted on November 20, 2014 in Divorce

The traditional yearbook, which requires the snapping of photo frozen in time, versus the instant gratification of connecting with a friend online, may actually capture more than originally thought. It may be an indicator of one's personal future, predicting marital happiness or the probability of divorce.

Matthew Hertenstein, professor of psychology at DePauw University, has spent time dusting off hardcopy yearbooks to document a correlation between the art of smiling and the likelihood of hopeful students who may seek the services of a qualified divorce attorney in the future. Hertenstein conveys that those who smiled the least in comparison to those who freely flashed a grin were five times more likely to experience a divorce at some point in their lives. Although the professor’s research may appear a bit “cheesey,” he believed marital status could be defined by the intensity of a smile.

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 Posted on November 17, 2014 in Divorce

In today’s psychological terms, an extrovert is considered outgoing and highly sociable. Introverts, however, are viewed as shy or aloof. Although very different in nature, psychologists believe either to be a healthy variation of personality styles. Whether an introvert or extrovert, specific traits help determine the dynamics of personal relationships. In fact, according to Your Tango, an electronic media company dedicated to relationships, choosing to begin a relationship with an introvert may discourage a future meeting with a licensed marriage counselor or appointment with a qualified divorce attorney.

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