Control and Manipulation: The Insidious Roots Of Domestic Abuse

control and manipulation

You don’t have to be physically battered to be a victim of domestic violence. No matter the type of abuse — physical, verbal, emotional, sexual, or financial – control and manipulation are at the core. Are you being controlled by an abusive spouse or partner? It’s time to learn the warning signs.  Read more

Divorce and Sex Addiction

high conflict ex

If you are getting a divorce and sex addiction is the cause, you may wonder how his (or her) addiction will impact your divorce proceedings, and post-divorce life. Read on to learn what to expect when you’re going through divorce from a sex addict. Read more

Divorcing An Addict: 3 Strategies For Getting Through It

Divorce isn’t simple for anyone, but ending a marriage to someone struggling with an addiction adds another set of concerns. What happens if he doesn’t stop using? Can you trust her with the kids? What if he can’t keep his job and pay child support? Although you can’t control the addict’s behavior, you can put strategies in place to make your divorced life more manageable. Read more

Is Your Spouse Addicted to Opioids?

New Jersey is not immune from the nation’s opioid epidemic. 

  • For every 100 prescriptions written in New Jersey, 55 of these are for opioids.
  • Over 184,000 New Jersey residents have been admitted into treatment facilities for heroin or opioid abuse since 2010. 
  • Over 5,000 heroin-related deaths have occurred in New Jersey since 2004. 
  • The number of prescription/synthetic opioid-related deaths has increased twentyfold over the past 14 years. 

And here is one more tragic statistic: approximately 50% of marriages affected by addiction end in divorce. Read more

Married To An Addict: Is Divorce Inevitable?

saving marriage from addiction

Almost 50% of marriages involving substance abuse end in divorce. Can your relationship can survive the impact of your spouse’s addiction? Before you call it quits, learn steps that can help you reclaim your marriage and rebuild the love and trust that addiction destroyed.  Read more

You Deserve Better: 6 Signals It’s Time To Divorce

thinking about divorce?

You’ve been unhappy in your marriage for awhile, but you’re not sure if you should pull the plug and divorce. While there’s no perfect partner out there, you need someone who’s committed to working through problems. If your instinct says “it’s over,” here are some signs that you might be correct.   Read more

Asset Division Dilemma: The House Or The Retirement Account?

retirement divorce asset

You and your spouse have sat down to negotiate your division of marital assets and there is a very big decision that the two of you will need to make.

You own a home together — a home that you very much want to stay in after your divorce — and your spouse has a retirement account through work that he/she very much wants to remain intact and free from division. Your spouse makes you an offer: you can take 100% of their equity in the home and assume sole ownership of the home, if in return, you give up any claim to the retirement account. Dollar-wise, the amount of money in play appears to be about the same.

Should you say yes? It’s exactly what you want, after all. Or is this offer too good to be true?

Let’s take a closer look at this very common asset negotiation tactic.   Read more

Gray Divorce: 4 Ways to Future-Proof Alimony and Protect Your Finances

thinking about how alimony safeguards your future

Bankruptcy rates among Americans over age 65 have tripled in recent decades. The reason why appears to be a perfect storm of financial strains — from spiraling health care costs and rising living expenses to too little in retirement and personal savings. If you are older and planning to divorce, you may be concerned about how your split will impact your financial future, especially if you will pay — or receive — alimony.

What if you can’t pay the alimony amount you’re ordered to — or if the amount you receive isn’t enough? What happens to alimony when you retire? What about taxes? And what other sources of income and support can you draw from in your senior years?  Read more

5 Signs You CAN Save Your Marriage

Going through a bad spell in your marriage and wondering if it’ll last? Instead of focusing on problems, try thinking of solutions. Here are 5 signs that you and your spouse have the skills to save your marriage and make things work. Read more

Can student loans be required to reduce parental college tuition obligations? 

When parents agree to share college costs as part of their divorce settlement, it can be at a time when their children are younger and college is still in the far-off future. 

But time marches on, and someday those same young children will be young adults getting ready for the next big step in life. As your child decides on which college or university to attend, it is time to look back at those college cost sharing agreements. Does your agreement obligate you to pay 20%, 50%, 80%, or even all of your child’s tuition? Read more