Blog
October 1, 2024 » A ‘Gray Divorce” Can Upend Your Retirement Plans
Michele Singletary, a columnist for the Washington Post, wrote the following column on September 11, 2024. Michelle Singletary is one of my favorite financial gurus as she delves into many of the financial problems that vex us and is very direct about how to help us help ourselves.
July 2, 2024 » Mindful Co-Parenting – Importance of Mindfulness Tools
So, what does mindful co-parenting look like? Mindful co-parenting may be supported by some form of mindfulness meditation or it can simply mean paying attention. Attention equals intention. When we’re paying attention to our body, thoughts, and feelings we’re more likely to be attuned to our intention to be a good co-parent.
June 1, 2024 » Children of LGBTQI+ Couples – Co-parenting and the Impact of Divorce
Create an inclusive environment where your children feel accepted and celebrated for who they are, including their LGBTQI family structure. Affirm their identities and provide resources and support networks where they can connect with other children of LGBTQI parents and other families who have divorced.
May 10, 2024 » 3 Types of Co-Parenting to Kick Off Summer
Here come the summer months, when it is time to make or revise scheduling plans and decisions with your co-parent. This usually involves a shift in the parenting schedule, a vacation week or two, and coordinating summer activities and camps. It takes collaboration, communication, and sharing of responsibility to support your child during this time. Depending on the type of co-parenting relationship you have developed, you will handle this transition in different ways.
January 1, 2024 » How Will Nesting Help Your Kids and You?
What story do you want your kids to share about your divorce when they are grown? The decisions and actions you take now, shape their future narratives. Nesting offers your children the chance to create a story of a healthy and amicable separation or divorce.
December 1, 2023 » Why Have One Neutral Financial Professional in Your Divorce?
What I say to the first noted potential clients is that I, as a neutral financial professional, promise them they will know everything financially related to their divorce prior to any decision making. It is my job to lay out all the assets and debts and income and expenses in simple and understandable form to both clients and any mediator or attorneys. It is also my job to educate my clients about taxes, tax filing status, health and life insurance, Social Security, pension values, and the consequences of dividing assets that have tax related issues.
November 1, 2023 » Making Sense of Those Divorce Legal Forms, Part 1
Filing a petition for dissolution of marriage (divorce) simply opens a file at the courthouse and gives you a file number to use in the future. Nothing else will ever happen if no one files anything further. In fact in many counties, the court is obligated to close the case if no one files anything else within a 3-5-year period.
October 1, 2023 » Making Sense of Those Divorce Legal Forms, Part 2
My earlier blog (“Making Sense of Those Legal Forms” posted February 1, 2021) discussed the forms that are needed to begin the process for divorce. This article is written to explain the forms that must be submitted to the court in order to complete the process of obtaining your divorce.
September 1, 2023 » Children of Divorce: The Innocent Ones in Custody Battles
A vaccine and effective treatment options were eventually discovered for COVID-19. There is also a “vaccine” and effective treatment remedies available for the “virus” related to divorce conflict and its heavy burden on the children in the family: Collaborative Divorce.
August 1, 2023 » Telling Children About Divorce
Imagine a child learning that their parents are divorcing in a way that is filled with empathy and hope for the future. No matter how hard the change in lifestyle will be for your children, you as their parents hold the key to their adjustment during and after divorce.
July 1, 2023 » Why Consider a Collaborative Divorce?
You have full support. Unlike in mediation, you have a lot of support and guidance throughout your Collaborative Divorce. A mediator is neutral, so he/she cannot advise you or advocate for either of you. The mediator should educate you about the law and can facilitate the conversation between you and your partner, but cannot stop you from making an uninformed or unwise decision. If you like the idea of mediation but feel that you would benefit from having your own lawyer’s guidance and support, Collaborative Divorce is the process to consider.
June 1, 2023 » Wondering if Divorce is Right for You?
Remember when you had a great relationship and enough hopes for the future to marry? These can be reasons not to divorce, along with concerns about children’s welfare and resilience and relationships with your spouse’s family and other ways you are entwined that are valuable to you. Discernment Counseling is a one to five session process of gaining clarity and confidence in your decision along with gaining understanding of how you and your spouse got to the point that divorce is an option.
May 1, 2023 » Divorce: Supporting Your Child’s Relationship with Your Other Parent.
Divorce is a difficult and emotional process for both the spouses and the children involved. When parents decide to separate, it is important for them to recognize the impact it can have on their children, and to make an effort to support their relationship with the other parent.
April 1, 2023 » Prenuptial Agreements: 4 Items to Discuss as You Create Your Marriage Success Plan
The time leading up to your wedding will be filled with love, excitement, and optimism. Whether you’ll be keeping things sweet and simple or going big with the ceremony and celebration, I hope you enjoy the fun experience of planning your special day. So, what role do prenuptial agreements play in this exciting time? Some engaged couples are under the impression that prenuptial agreements lead to an admission that they’ll end up getting divorced. Nothing could be further from the truth.
March 1, 2023 » How Do I Start a Collaborative Divorce?
When someone is just beginning to think about a divorce, there can be so much fear about what is going to happen. A good way to get off on the right foot in your divorce is to meet with a Collaborative Divorce Navigator.
February 1, 2023 » Divorce With Respect Week – March 6 –10, 2023
Collaborative Practice California, the umbrella group for all of California’s Collaborative Practice Groups, is offering California residents FREE 30-minute divorce consultations provided by volunteer attorneys, mental health professionals, and divorce financial specialists. These consultations are like any intake meeting with a prospective client.
January 3, 2023 » Do I Need to State a Reason for Filing a Divorce?
In summary as addressed above, most individuals select “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for their divorce in California because it is the easiest to prove and does not require expert testimony about the other person’s mental capacity.
December 1, 2022 » Dating After Divorce: Blending Families
About six months after you met, you agreed it was time to meet each other’s children. You know it is not easy for children to allow a new adult into their lives so you want to be as careful as possible. You expect your ex-husband will not take it well that you are in a new relationship, however, you know it is better to tell him before you introduce the children to your new partner.
November 1, 2022 » My Kids Blame Me for the Divorce: What Can I Do?
The crisis of divorce brings many unexpected losses. One of the most painful is when your children blame you for the divorce. Kids are caught in a trap—whom to blame, who needs loyalty, who is most vulnerable. You can ease the burden for them.
September 1, 2022 » My Spouse Wants a Divorce – Where Do I Start?
Prospective clients often call me to say they have just been told that their spouse wants a divorce, they are frightened and have no idea where to start. I usually suggest they attend a free online Divorce Options Workshop.