During a divorce, dividing the marital estate is one of the most important areas that needs to be resolved. This, of course, can be a very challenging issue as finances tend to trigger strong emotions. As part of the process, divorcing spouses will need to identify, evaluate, and divide all marital property. For some assets, this is fairly simple and straightforward. For example, if you have a joint bank account 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
Preparing for Divorce Part 5: The Role of a Financial Advisor
In Part 4 of our series, we turned our focus to finances, discussing the importance of creating a pre and post-divorce budget. Budgeting can be a tedious task, and many people feel like it puts too many constraints on what they are allowed to do financially. In reality, a budget puts you in much greater control of your finances, and it is one of the best tools for helping people get through tough financial times, Read More
Divorce Agreements and Enforcing Visitation
Once you have completed the divorce process and the final decree has been issued, all parties are obligated to adhere to its terms and conditions, unless they are modified later on. Unfortunately, some ex-spouses do not live up to their end of the agreement. One of the most common issues where there is frequently conflict between ex-spouses is with child custody and visitation. When the original parenting plan is Read More
Divorce, Visitation, and the Holidays
The holidays may take on a different meaning for families in the midst of a divorce or not too far removed from the process. When parents live in separate homes, and even great distances from each other, this complicates spending quality time with children during the holiday season, and it can lead to conflict. Many families have established traditions with their children and are unsure how those will continue Read More
Making Healthcare Decisions for Children of Divorce
Co-parenting after a divorce is not always easy, especially if you have experienced a lot of contention regarding parenting issues while you and your spouse were married. Healthcare is one area where this can become especially challenging. If you are newly divorced and think this might become an issue or you already have a conflict with your ex-spouse over obtaining healthcare for your children, it is a good idea to Read More
Divorced Parents Paying for College in South Carolina
Over the last decade, the South Carolina Supreme Court has changed course several times regarding its rulings on the obligation of parents to pay college tuition for their children after a divorce. Initially, the Court ruled that it could be required. That was reversed in Webb v. Sowell (2010), the Court ruling that compelling parents to pay college tuition for adult children only when they were legally separated, Read More
Adultery and Divorce
South Carolina defines adultery as a person having sexual relations with someone who is not his or her legal spouse. Because South Carolina is a “fault” state when it comes to divorce, the person whose spouse had an affair with someone else can allege and then set out to prove the unfaithfulness as a basis to obtain a divorce. It is just one of several types of bad conduct that can work against a spouse in divorce Read More
