Each year, divorce rates go up significantly in the month of January. This is partially because some couples who have decided to dissolve their marriages choose to wait before filing until the holidays are over. In other cases, the stress of the holidays pushes an already troubled marriage to the point where spouses decide it is time to end it. Whatever the reason, the new year can provide an opportunity to finally Read More
The Surprising Financial Benefits of Getting Divorced
Most of us of are aware that divorce impacts virtually every area of your financial life. When assets are divided, major issues will need to be resolved, such as who will own the marital home, how the rest of the property will be divided, how much child support will be paid, and how much alimony (if any) the lesser earning spouse will be entitled to receive. Clearly, how you and your spouse decide to resolve these Read More
Facing the Holidays after a Divorce
The holidays are the most festive time of the year, but they can also be among the most stressful times. This is especially true for those who are experiencing their first holiday after a divorce. When you were married, there were probably a lot of holiday activities that you did together as a family. But now that you are single, that has all changed. This can create feelings of sadness about what you have lost Read More
How to Improve your Self Esteem after a Divorce
Although divorce is far more common in our society than it was a couple generations ago, it can still be damaging to your self-esteem. Just contemplating the fact that the marriage you made a lifelong commitment to “didn’t work” can make you feel like a failure. You may have also had a manipulative or abusive spouse who kept you down, and you are still feeling this way even though you no longer live under the same Read More
How to Improve your Credit Score After a Divorce
If you are facing a divorce, it has the potential to adversely impact your credit score for the foreseeable future. Although the credit reporting agencies do not lower your score simply because your marriage has been dissolved, some of the financial consequences of the process can cause your score to drop. This can happen even in the most amicable divorces. Here are some ways divorce can hurt your credit Read More
When Does Child Support End in South Carolina?
In general, child support in South Carolina ends when the child turns 18, graduates from high school, or is otherwise emancipated. But it is not always this simple. For example, if the child is still in high school when they are 18, the support obligation will continue until the child graduates or turns 19. The support obligation may also be extended based on the specific terms and conditions of the divorce decree, Read More
I Think My Spouse Might be Hiding Assets, What Should I Do?
If you are facing a divorce, one of the major issues that needs to be settled is the division of marital assets. All assets that are part of the marital estate are supposed to be divided in a fair and equitable manner. But what if some of these assets are missing? If a spouse has been thinking about getting a divorce for a while, they may have already taken steps to conceal the existence of various assets so they Read More
Should I Get an Annulment or Divorce in SC?
When spouses want to dissolve their marriage, there are a couple different options; divorce or annulment. South Carolina allows annulments under limited circumstances, and in a large number of cases, divorce (or legal separation if you do not currently have grounds for divorce) will be the only options. What is an Annulment? While divorce dissolves a valid marriage, an annulment terminates a marriage that was Read More
Common Law Marriage Abolished in South Carolina
What does the Ruling Mean for Cohabitating Couples in the State? On July 25th, 2019, the South Carolina Supreme Court issued a monumental decision abolishing common law marriage in the Palmetto State. This ruling applies to all common law marriages that would have been established on or after the date the decision was handed down (7/25/2019). Those that existed before this date can still be validated, although Read More
