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Blog Posts in 2017

  • Are Same-Sex Divorce Proceedings Different?

    Same-sex marriage rights are a victory for countless couples across the nation, as they have been since the year 2009. Because the legalization of same-sex marriage is less than 10 years old, many LGBTQ couples wonder whether their rights are the same across the board. Unfortunately, divorce does not discriminate--nearly 50% of marriages end in divorce. In the event of a divorce, same-sex couples ...
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  • Who Gets to Keep the Pets in a Divorce?

    Children aren’t the only ones who can get caught up in a divorced couple’s custody dispute. In fact, fights over who will get to keep the family pets can be equally contentious. Research has shown that roughly 50% of marriages end in divorce and that 62% of American homes have at least one pet in them. It’s easy to see that many of these divorced couples are likely to own a pet. But what happens ...
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  • Service Member Divorce: What You Need to Know

    When a service member gets divorced , unique issues arise that would not occur during a civilian divorce . This is why it is important to understand the complexities of a military divorce. The more you know, the more smoothly your divorce will go. Below, we explain how military divorce is different from a traditional divorce. Does it Matter What State I File for Divorce In? Typically, the person ...
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  • What Happens to Debt After Divorce?

    One of the parts of the divorce process that can take a long time to resolve is property division . Most people think of property division as the “who gets what” portion of the divorce process; however, not many people realize both assets and debts are divided between the spouses in a divorce. A married couple can accrue a lot of debt during the course of the marriage, particularly if one spouse ...
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  • Relocating with Your Child After Divorce

    Most people think the divorce is the hardest part of the end of a marriage. While this may be true for some, for parents, the hardest part is continuing to speak with your ex to maintain custody visits and visitation. The court will order parents to keep a specific schedule of visitation and custody until both parents decide to make a change or one parent wants to make a change regardless of ...
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  • Should I Keep or Sell the Family Home in a Divorce?

    Deciding what to do with the family home during a divorce can become an emotionally-charged power struggle and a continuing source of conflicts and negotiations between all parties involved. There are a wide variety of factors that couples must consider before making a final decision. The following are several options on dividing the family home in a divorce: Sell it immediately . If you and your ...
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  • 4 Tips to Protect Your Retirement When Divorcing

    Iowa considers retirement accounts and pensions to be marital property, making them subject to property division by the court in a divorce . In each case, Iowa courts determine how the pension needs to be divided and how the amount awarded should be paid. All marital property must be divided “equitably,” which means the court will divide the property fairly but not necessarily equally. The court ...
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  • Co-Parenting Tips for Divorced Couples

    Very few things are quite as difficult as struggling to co-parent with your ex-spouse, as there is obviously a reason why the two of you chose to end your marriage. Whether there is a vast difference in parenting styles, or you cannot simply get along with each other, co-parenting will be a challenge until your children are old enough to take care of themselves, and even then you will still have ...
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  • How Are Retirement Accounts Divided in an Iowa Divorce?

    Finances are one of the most contentious aspects of divorce, as each party believes he or she is entitled to a specific amount of assets. Very rarely does the divorcing couple completely agree on what each person should have, and this is even truer for retirement accounts. If you are getting a divorce in the state of Iowa, your retirement account and pensions are liable to be divided with your ...
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  • Online Dating Websites Becoming More Common in Divorce Evidence

    With the advent of technologies such as social media and the Internet, divorce has changed considerably, as have dating and relationships. Many people who are in the midst of a divorce don’t know how else to get back into the dating pool, as they may feel hesitant to put themselves in social situations they’re not used to. As a result, many people are turning to dating websites as a way to still ...
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  • Tips on Planning Child Custody during the Summer Months

    Children are always excited for the summer. School is out, they have the freedom to play from dusk until dawn, and they usually go on some kind of vacation with their family. However, after a divorce , the summer can become quite a complicated ordeal for ex-spouses to find agreement upon. Oftentimes, divorced parents who have limited custody during the school months hope to see their children for ...
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  • Why You Should Stay off Social Media during Your Divorce

    As everyone knows, divorce can be an incredibly difficult time. This emotionally draining transition is made no easier with the advent of social media, as it is a staple in our everyday lives. In this day and age, divorce is made even more complicated with the fact that people are able to keep up with the ex-spouses lives through platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Though social ...
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  • Is Your Spouse Hiding Assets? Here Are Some Signs

    Did you know that three in ten adults with shared finances have hidden assets or purchases from their partner? According to several studies, approximately 7.2 million Americans have hidden a bank or credit card account from their live-in spouse or partner. So when it comes to divorce , there may be a discrepancy during the financial disclosure part of the proceeding. There are many cases where a ...
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  • Divorcing After 50? Tips for Gray Divorces

    “Gray divorce” is defined as divorce among older couples, typically over 50 years of age and have been married for several decades. It is a relatively recent trend caused by various factors, such as the increase life expectancy, a growth in financial independence among older women, and the changing cultural norms. There are many unique issues which couples involved in gray divorces must address. ...
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  • Biggest Divorce Myths

    You might have heard a variety of divorce stories that are often considered as truth; however, some of them are just myths that are not necessarily true. Each couple who has divorced or is currently in the process does not experience the same emotions and issues. While each divorce ends differently, the following are four of the biggest myths of divorce: Divorce is always expensive . Not all ...
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