If you and your spouse are experiencing marital difficulties, consider the following information before you divorce.1. A divorce, no matter how ugly or amicable, causes stress. It is essential to get in good physical condition because stress and anxiety are best treated when you are healthy and fit. Try a regular exercise program. Or, alternatively, do what you enjoy most: take a walk or ride a bike, regularly.2. Maintain a positive attitude. Divorce is the same as the loss of a partner by death. You will experience the five stages of grief, including denial, anger, bargaining, depression, …

A child must travel back and forth between their father's and mother's houses where the parents no longer get along or have separated during a pending divorce.  This form of sharing joint parenting time or sole custody with the other parent having visitation is frequently the subject of a court order agreement.Switching between two households is certainly not ideal for a child who is already stressed by the conflicts between divorcing parents. A child needs a sense of home, particularly where a child is watching their parents argue or fight, sometimes about them."Nesting" is an alternative…

There is no such thing as a completely hassle-free divorce. However, there are ways to complete the divorce process without blowing your top or losing the shirt off your back. It is useful to examine ways you and your divorcing spouse can remain on as good of terms as possible during the end of your marriage.

"Does my child support order automatically decrease if one of my two children turns 18 and graduates from high school?" In Illinois, child support must be paid until the child turns 18 or graduates from high school, which ever is later. However, the support does not have to be paid beyond the age of 19 if the child continues in high school and has not yet graduated.

Divorce is never an easy process. Spouses who have decided to go through with a divorce cite reasons including infidelity, finances, or just plain old irreconcilable differences. Whatever the reason for the split, the effect of the divorce is rarely felt solely by those that call each other spouse. The American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry states that one in two marriages today end in divorce, many of them being families that include children. Unavoidably, this brings up the unpleasant issue of child custody. Unfortunately, sometimes this topic is used as a weapon in one …

My ex-wife just moved into her new partner’s house. Do I still have to pay spousal support payments?

Child Support is Not Income TaxableIf you receive child support, you do not have to pay income tax on the support received. Child support payments are excluded from your taxable income by both the IRS and the State of Illinois. Even if you receive a lump sum of child support that is past due, or you collect a child support judgment, these monies remain nontaxable to you.Child Support and Interest

"Does my misconduct matter in my divorce?"If you can answer "no" to the question, "Is there anything you've done you can't tell your mother about?" then you probably have nothing to fear in your divorce case regarding your prior misconduct.However, like most things in life, there is often more to it.

 “My spouse is required to pay child support by order of the court; what happens if he moves out of state?”

One of the most challenging aspects of a divorce is determining what happens to your property. Such a determination is particularly challenging when it comes to a family business. A key aspect of this process is how the court will determine a value for your business.

"I was married for 25 years until my husband hooked up with the younger woman and divorced me. I was granted permanent maintenance [alimony] , now he is trying to terminate that because I have been living with a boyfriend. Can he still be in such control of my life?""Alimony" what is now called Illinois spousal maintenance can be granted to a divorced spouse in amounts and for periods of time as the court deems just, without regard to marital misconduct, for a fixed or indefinite periods of time, after consideration of all relevant factors (750 I LCS 5/510). This grant of authority gives an …

If I file a joint income tax return with my husband this year, will the IRS or the State of Illinois take our refund to pay his past due child support to his ex-wife?The State of Illinois or the IRS may intercept your combined income tax refund if your husband owes unpaid child support to his former wife (or the mother of his child), even if he is now on a payment plan with the State of Illinois to pay that child support in installments.Back Child Support and the Treasury Offset Program

Child Visitation Update: Will Illinois fathers soon be entitled to a minimum of 35 percent of their child's time?  April 9, 2014: There is an update regarding the progress of the Illinois State Legislature and the bill introduced by two Illinois legislators to provide a mandatory minimum amount of parenting time for fathers in Illinois for 35 percent of their child's time.House Bill 4124 makes a legislative finding in the purpose and rules of the construction section of the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act. It states, "In order to maximize the opportunity for each child …

"How do I know how much child support I will receive if the father of my child is still paying child support for two other children, each from a different woman?"In Illinois, the father of the child whether or not married to the mother is responsible for paying child support for his child.The law in Illinois provides the child support is a percentage of the father's or payor's  net income. "Net income" is gross income from all sources including wages, overtime, bonuses and commissions and all other income less certain expenses such as prior obligations of support [750 ILCS 5/505(a)(3)].

Valuation in Divorce

In a recent product review of the Honeywell Wi-Fi Smart Thermostat, which can be controlled from a smart phone or computer, an ex-husband recently posted a revealing product review on Amazon titled, "SHE TOOK THE HOUSE, THE DOG AND THE 401K €¦. BUT I STILL CONTROL THE THERMOSTAT."