It does not matter whether you and your spouse are divorcing amicably - you still have to divide your property between the two of you before your divorce can be finalized. While this process can be annoying at best and combative at worst, it is a necessary evil of divorce. Illinois courts look at the division of property as being equitable, rather than equal. You may not necessarily come out of the marriage with everything that you personally gained during the marriage. Dividing property during a divorce can be a careful game of negotiations, especially when it comes to high-value assets, …

Often times, many parents rely on child support payments to help purchase much-needed things for their children, like clothes, shoes and other necessities. In Illinois, the parent who the child spends the majority of time with is considered the “custodial” parent. This parent may ask for child support to help cover costs for the child.

Though every divorce is different, and there is no one set way that can be used in all divorces, there are some general guidelines that can help make your divorce easier on you. The nature of divorce makes this period of time in your life difficult already, so figuring out ways that you can make it easier on everyone involved is a good idea. You may not even be aware that you are making these mistakes, but they can hinder the divorce and separation process. Here are five mistakes that you should try your best to avoid making:

Divorce can have the unfortunate consequence of forcing you to find a new health insurance plan if you were previously on your spouse’s plan. You have several insurance options to choose from and should start shopping for one early in your divorce. The approval process can take weeks with some insurance providers. If you allow your insurance coverage to lapse, you risk having to pay out of pocket for an unexpected medical bill. However, you should also thoroughly research your options to find the best combination of benefits and affordability. Follow these four steps during your health …

A divorce or separation can affect children’s relationships with their grandparents, as well as their parents. Unlike parents, grandparents are not presumed to have the right to see their grandchildren. The grandparents’ son or daughter often allows them to visit their grandchildren. However, one parent who has exclusive responsibility for the children may prevent his or her co-parent’s relatives from seeing the children. In order to see their grandchildren, the grandparents will need to prove in court that denying their visits is harmful to the children.

Traditionally, it was assumed that the man works to support his family financially while the woman, though she may have had a career before she was married, would quit her job to stay home and take care of the children and the home. Because of that, many women would be in a state of financial distress if they got divorced because they did not have any income of their own - which is where alimony came in.

Halloween marks the time of the year when a months-long procession of holidays, events and seasonal celebrations begin. When you think of the holiday season, you probably think of Thanksgiving and Christmas. But you should not forget about Halloween - especially if you have younger children.

Some people are still ashamed of getting divorced, even though divorce has become more socially acceptable during the past 50 years. People feel less obligated to stay in a marriage due to religious beliefs or fear of being ostracized as a single parent. However, they have more difficulty overcoming the misconception that divorce makes them failures. Your marriage does not by itself determine whether you are a successful person. Instead, divorce may be a step towards a happier and more fulfilling life.

Contrary to what many might believe, prenuptial and postnuptial agreements are a good thing. With the number of couples getting divorced these days hovering around 40 to 50 percent, it should make a lot of sense to want to protect yourself and your assets if you do end up following in the footsteps of millions of Americans. Prenuptial agreements can be useful, but if you do not create such a contract before you tie the knot, postnuptial agreements can be just as good.

In some divorces, the completion of the divorce is the last time that the couple will have to talk or communicate with each other. Once you have gone your own ways, there is no need to have anything to do with each other again.

When you are engaged to get married, one of the last things on your mind is divorce. Though it is not a romantic topic, or even one that you want to broach, thinking about what would happen if the marriage ended should be on your to-do list before you tie the knot.

Researchers disagree on what is the actual divorce rate for couples in the U.S. Fifty percent is a popular number to cite but is based on projections that are decades old. Different studies claim that the divorce rate is either declining or staying steady, depending on the data used and how they are interpreted. We may be incapable of coming up with an accurate number that tells us how likely people are to get divorced. Instead, we can look at demographic groups that seem to have a greater risk of divorce.