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It's a new year, and you may have decided that you don't want to end another one married to your spouse. Regardless of what your issues are, you are not alone in this thinking. Many people here in New Jersey and elsewhere are of the same mind.
What you are not sure about is whether your future former spouse will take the news well. If you have any hesitation that he or she will simply accept your decision, you may want to prepare yourself for a battle.
A new generation has come of age, and with the hypothetical "changing of the guard," younger adults are changing the way certain matters have traditionally been handled by their parents and grandparents. The tech age has produced alternative options for how people work, raise families and generally live life. In keeping with the trend of change, many New Jersey adults are exploring divorce mediation as an alternative to a traditional courtroom divorce.
Divorce mediation is an attractive solution to many couples that have chosen to end their marriages. Advantages like lower cost and a shorter timetable are a draw for hard-working adults that fear a long, drawn-out court battle is a waste of valuable financial resources. Divorce is also an emotional process, and choosing mediation can reduce stress by providing a more intimate setting where divorcing parties are both focused on sorting out the details of a split, rather than battling each other with personal attacks in open court.
Ending a marriage is no laughing matter, so New Jersey residents may be a bit taken aback by recent news headlines. National Divorce Month may sound like a joke, but many experts say there is some truth to the unofficial term. While certainly, there is no formally honored period in which to get a divorce, there are very real trends within the legal process that contribute to the tongue-in-cheek phrase.
Courts traditionally see an influx of divorce filings in January. Some people may be looking for a fresh start in the new year. Others may have planned to file for divorce for quite some time, but thought it better to wait until after the holiday season had passed.
New Jersey has welcomed a new year, and for many residents, 2019 was full of big changes. In addition to holiday celebrations and annual festivities, 'tis the season to start thinking about tax returns. Several new laws have taken effect, and one of them directly correlates to alimony payments.
Alimony is a provision paid by one spouse to the other after a divorce. The amount and duration of these payments can vary on a case-by-case basis. Previous tax law allowed a person paying alimony to count the payments as a deduction, and the person receiving the payments to count them as income. For divorces and separations that were finalized prior to 2019, the old law is still applicable.
Each week, New Jersey residents tune in with viewers across the country to catch the latest episode of a favorite television show. Reality shows continue to keep viewers hooked, and people wait all week to see what the stars will do next. Shows like "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" often feature the cast members going through major life events. Over the years, the show's faithful following has witnessed weddings, child birth, graduations and other milestone moments, most recently including a high asset divorce.
Kenya Moore returned to the show in 2019, taking a massive cut in pay after being previously fired. Moore was always a fan favorite, so viewers were shocked to learn that she had been sacked for failing to tell anyone, even the show's producers, that she was married and expecting a child. She returned to the show, but it soon became clear there was trouble in paradise. Moore and her husband were caught on camera in the middle of a heated argument, and they announced soon after that they were getting a divorce.
It can be rough on children when parents split up. Many New Jersey parents may be stressing about choosing the perfect gift for a child, and when parents are divorced, it may feel like a competition with the other parent. A divorce mediation professional offers tips to ease the worry and strife.
Parents should keep the happiness and well-being of the shared child first and foremost in the decision-making. While it may be tempting to outdo the other parent, this can make an occasion stressful for the child. If parents are able to communicate civilly, it is helpful to work together. Parents can agree on a basic budget each will follow for gift buying, and decide who the child will receive gifts from. Some parents choose to give gifts separately and others may have children that believe Santa has delivered them, but no matter what the traditions are, working together can make the experience magical for a child.
Divorce is one of the most difficult things a couple can go through. If you have children, it may be even more challenging. Your focus is likely on immediate matters like where the children will live, how you will divide responsibilities for them, and how you will support them when you and your ex are living separate lives.
One item you don't want to overlook is your children's college educations. Whether your kids are only a year or two away from a New Jersey high school graduation or they are still in elementary school, you may have discussed or even implemented plans to send them to college. Your divorce is not the time to abandon those plans but rather to make them more complete.
Christmas is right around the corner, and a new year is set to begin. Everywhere a person might go, there is some sort of holiday cheer. New Jersey residents might find themselves secretly feeling a bit annoyed and overwhelmed. The holiday season brings along a lot of unspoken pressure and stress, and experts say that it is not uncommon to see a spike in divorce cases in the coming weeks.
The correlation between divorce and the holidays is becoming apparent. The American husband or wife faces an incredible amount of pressure to make the holidays perfect for loved ones. Sometimes, it seems like every commercial, greeting card, internet ad or magazine cover claims to have a secret to holiday success.
Even in modern America, it is not unusual for the holiday season to be idealized. Sometimes, it seems like every commercial on television shows the perfect family enjoying a perfect holiday, and parents may feel unreasonable pressure to live up to this unrealistic representation. For New Jersey families that have gone through divorce, parents may be discouraged when things don't work out as planned.
A recent editorial gave a firsthand account of a mother's holiday frustration. Years ago, she and the father of her children divorced. Both parents had moved on, and though the mother had remarried, she was able to maintain an open line of communication with her ex-husband so that the children were able to enjoy time with both parents. When bad weather put a sudden hitch in holiday plans, the children's father suggested she drop the kids off to celebrate with his family.
New Jersey residents might be surprised to learn that almost half of new marriages in the United States include at least one person that has been married before. People are not giving up on matrimony, but there might be a few more things to discuss the second time around. Topics like existing child support and alimony can become a point of contention if a couple does not come up with a solid plan ahead of time.
When a parent remarries, his or her new family may be categorized as a blended family. This term usually refers to a marriage in which one or both spouses has children from a previous relationship. Blended families have a good chance to be happy and successful, but careful planning is required, especially when it comes to finances.
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