How Can You Prevent Parental Kidnapping?

In high conflict custody battles or family situations in which domestic violence is present, the risk for parental kidnapping can be real. According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (via the FBI), approximately 200,000 of the 260,000 children abducted each year are taken by a family member. In 78% of these kidnappings, the abductor is a non-custodial parent.

While kidnapping of any kind is — thankfully — still a rare occurrence for the vast majority of separated or divorced families, if you’re concerned that your child could be at risk, there are several practical steps you can take right now to help keep your child safe. Read more

5 Costly Risks Of Representing Yourself In Divorce

You’ve decided to divorce. Now comes your next decision: Do you need to hire an attorney, or should you represent yourself?

In New Jersey, individuals involved in a divorce have the legal option to either hire an attorney or make the choice to go it alone in their matter.

Self-representation is usually tied to a desire to save on costs. In the short term, yes, representing yourself does save money up front. In the long run? Self-representation (technically called going pro se in your divorce) puts you at risk for expensive drawbacks that outweigh any initial savings.

Not sure what’s right for you and your divorce? Here are five factors to take into consideration when making the choice to hire an attorney or go pro se in your divorce. Read more

Why Do Couples Divorce After 20 Years of Marriage?

divorce after 20 year marriage

Move over, 7-year itch. Couples married for 20-plus years are now more likely to divorce than any other age group. According to a 2017 Pew Research study, the divorce rate among this demographic has doubled since the 1990s and is predicted to triple by 2030! Here are some reasons behind this growing divorce trend.  Read more

5 Key Steps To Take When It’s Time To Divorce

time to divorce

The decision to divorce will alter your life forever, so it’s critical that you plan your exit wisely. Ready to take the first steps towards a brighter future? The following tips can help you kickstart the divorce process with greater clarity and calm. Read more

Are Digital Mistakes About To Turn Your Divorce Into a Disaster?

digital mistakes in divorce

It was just a few years ago that digital meddling in divorce consisted mainly of spouses taking screenshots of questionable texts and tagged photos on Facebook. In our tech-saturated world of 2022, however, cyber snooping and other online misbehaviors  in divorce have become much more complex — and prevalent.

As Bari Weinberger explained in her latest article for the New Jersey Law Journal, Social Media & Cyber Warnings in Family Law Cases: Learnings for 2022, “Today’s issues reflect everything from digital privacy breaches to cyber-harassment to hidden cryptocurrency and more.”

Are you at risk for a suspicious or vengeful spouse doing you wrong online? You need to protect yourself. Here are some tips for avoiding this new generation of cyber missteps in divorce. Read more

5 Ways to Rekindle Romance in Your Marriage

rekindling romance in marriage

Have your marital flames burned so low that you’re afraid they’ll be extinguished forever? While sex waxes and wanes in most relationships, ignoring your erotic connection can create the dreaded “roommate”marriage, and cause some spouses to remedy their loneliness by looking elsewhere for physical and emotional fulfillment, resulting in infidelity and often divorce.

Could saving the romance save your marriage? For most couples, it can certainly help.

While attempts to re-connect sexually may feel awkward, allowing yourselves to drift apart will make it that much harder the longer you wait. Here are some tips to help you and your spouse rekindle the spark. Read more

FIRE Divorce: What Happens When An “Financial Independence, Retire Early” Couple Splits?

FIRE divorce

You and your spouse were on FIRE. You worked hard at your financial independence with the goal to retire early. You might already be retired right now, living off the dividends of your hard-earned nest egg and passive investments, and with little to no debt. Financially, your marriage was a success. Personally, however, things were far from ideal, and now you and your spouse have made the difficult decision to divorce.

When a FIRE marriage ends, does financial independence end with it? Read more

The Peter Pan Generation: How To Help Your Adult Child Transition To Adulthood

Peter Pan Generation

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Do you have an adult child who’s struggling to leave your nest? While the pandemic sent many young adults running back to their childhood home, the “forever child” Peter Pan generation has been around for a while. A 2016 Pew Research Study found that 32% of 18 to 34-year-olds were more likely to live with their parents than in any other living situation. That number soared to 52% during the pandemic, even more than during the Great Depression! 

With college campuses closing, businesses shuttering, and housing costs rising, the struggle to live independently is real. Bari Weinberger wrote about the legal aspects of parents financially supporting their adult children in her new article for the New Jersey Law Journal: Peter Pan Support When Can Parents Stop Financially Supporting Adult Children? But what about the emotional side of having your adult child move back in?

Here’s how to help an adult child back in the nest find their wings again. Read more

4 Ways Abusers Are Using High Tech To Stalk In 2022 — And What You Can Do To Protect Yourself

cyberstalking in 2022

Is your phone being used to spy on you? How about your car? As “smart” internet-enabled technologies continue to evolve, unfortunately, so too do the techniques abusive spouses use to twist these advances into manipulative tools of surveillance and cyberstalking. 

Should you be concerned for your safety? In 2022, you need to learn four new ways abusers are using high tech to stalk — and the steps you can to protect yourself. Read more

The Ross and Rachel Effect: How To Recover A Relationship When One Spouse Cheats “On a Break”

cheating during marital separation

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When Ross and Rachel from the hit sit-com Friends infamously took a break from their relationship, Ross had a one-night stand. The issues that triggered the schism, busy work schedules and miscommunication, were small potatoes compared to their conflicting views on what was permissible during a separation. Ross’s insistence that he didn’t cheat “because we were on a break!” and Rachel’s insistence that he did cheat because she believed it wasn’t clear they were on a break morphed into a permanent rupture – for a few seasons, at least! 

So, let’s talk about sex outside the relationship when you and your partner have officially agreed to go on hiatus. Here are some common concerns, and how to navigate them. Read more