Divorce & Taxes: Who Can Claim Children As Dependents?

If this year marks the first time you are filing your taxes as a divorced parent, you may have questions about how issues such as child custody arrangements affect your ability to claim your children as dependents. Can you claim the kids even you don’t have primary custody? What about if you and your former spouse split custody 182 days each during the year — who gets to “write off” your child when the year is shared equally? Read more

How To Change Your Name Post-Divorce: A Check List


What’s in a name? If you are trying to make the difficult decision of whether or not to change your last name following your divorce, you may have already come up against some very conflicted thoughts… Read more

Spousal Support Claims, No Prenup: Inside Demi And Ashton’s Divorce

In celebrity divorce news, there’s no bigger story right now than than the marital split of Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher. While the couple officially separated in late 2011, Kutcher waited for over a year to file official divorce papers. And now, in what can only be described as a bombshell development in the case, Moore has just filed court response documents in which she seeks spousal support. Multiple news sources are also reporting that the couple had no prenuptial agreement, leaving open the door for Moore to claim part of the estimated $100 million dollar fortune Kutcher accumulated over the course of their marriage. Read more

Prenup Thrown Out In Court After Verbal Promise to “Rip It Up”

In New York, a Brooklyn Appellate Court panel has ruled that Peter Petrakis, a successful real estate investor, “fraudulently induced” his wife, Elizabeth, to sign a prenuptial agreement four days before their wedding. In a move that’s being hailed as precedent-setting, the prenup has now been thrown out and the couple’s divorce will proceed without the financial stipulations the document had outlined. Read more

Mom Loses Custody Over Facebook Post


We blogged not too long ago about how not to let social media sabotage your divorce. But it looks like at least one mom still hasn’t gotten this one very basic message: What you post on Facebook, Twitter, or your social media site of choice can come back to haunt you in a big way when it’s your day in court. Read more

How To Find A Divorce Therapist

When you are going through a divorce, it can help to have a trusted person to talk to about the jumbled mix of emotions and feelings you may be experiencing right now. For many, seeing a therapist is beneficial, especially when it comes to getting “over the hump” of divorce. If you have children, seeking therapy — for everyone in the family — is typically recommended as a way for you to begin learning the tools and skills necessary to move forward. Read more

Study: Divorce Rates Now Doubled For Older Couples

A few months back, our own Bari Weinberger appeared on CBS-2 to discuss the growing trend of “gray divorce” among the Baby Boom generation. Now, thanks to a new study from researchers at Bowling Green State University in Ohio, we now have hard statistics to back up just how many adults over 50 divorced in recent years. In short, it’s probably a lot more than anyone could have guessed. Read more

Collecting on Your Former Spouse’s Social Security

Nearing retirement age? If you were married for at least 10 years before getting a divorce, you may be entitled to a portion of your former spouse’s social security benefits. Read more

More Dating Site Profiles Used As Divorce Evidence

Filled out a profile on a dating website or sites to help you make a new love connection? If you are married, separated, or going through a divorce, be aware that information you share on dating sites such as Match.com and eHarmony.com could be used as evidence against you in divorce proceedings, child custody disputes, alimony and child support disputes, and other related matters. Read more

New Jersey Gives Military Parents Added Protection for Child Custody & Visitation Issues

As we discuss at greater length in our Guide to Military Divorce, child custody arrangements and parenting plans require special flexibility when one or both parents are in the service of the U.S. military. Deployments can be unpredictable and sometimes involve short notice. Families are called on to make difficult adjustments. No parent should have to worry that serving the country carries a risk of losing custody or parenting time. In recent years, many states have addressed these challenges by enacting specific laws addressing custody arrangements for children with a parent in the military. New Jersey has now joined this growing group of states. Read more