Kansas City Family Law Blog

Parents in Jackson County who separate are encouraged to not only help their child adjust to their break-up, but to move on with their own lives as well. This will often mean remarriage, which introduces an entirely new dynamic into what might already be a complex family relationship: a stepparent. Stepfamilies are certainly not an uncommon phenomenon in the U.S.; according to the Pew Research Center, four out of every 10 American adults have a step-relative. Yet when a divorced or separated parent remarries, the question of what responsibility a stepparent assumes will almost inevitably come up. 

Section 453.400 of Missouri's Domestic Relations Code states that stepparents have a legal obligation to provide for their stepchildren when those stepchildren reside in the same residence. This responsibility does not, however, end the obligation that the children's natural or adoptive parents (who are not living with them) have to continue to fulfill the terms of their child support agreement. If a natural or adoptive parent who is under a legal obligation to pay child support fails to do so (forcing the stepparent to compensate for that support), then the stepparent can seek to be compensated for whatever support the natural or adopted parent's neglect failed to cover. 

One going into divorce proceedings in Jackson County may have no issue in dividing up their marital property between themselves and their ex-spouse. Where they may be hesitant to share are those assets that they view as being the results of their own individual efforts. These may include one's workplace retirement accounts (like a 401k). Their hesitancy to part with even a portion of such an asset is understandable; at the same time, as 401k account contributions comes directly from their income (of which that which was earned during their marriage is considered marital property), one can see why 401k contributions are considered a shared asset. 

Ultimately, one may simply fear that the money they worked so hard to earn towards their retirement will simply go to waste. Such a fear may not be unfounded; according to information shared by CNBC, a divorce is one of the few cases where early withdrawals may be made from a 401k account without incurring the standard 10 percent tax penalty. However, leaving the money in the account gives it the opportunity to grow through investments and earned interest. Thus, 401k account owners may want to consider trying to retain their account's full value in their divorce proceedings. 

In a recent blog post, we discussed how family law issues can be problematic with regard to blood pressure. There are other ways in which family law matters, especially custody disputes, can have an adverse impact on one's health. For example, if you are in the middle of a difficult custody dispute, you may have difficulty sleeping at night. Whether you are losing sleep due to court-related stressors or you are worried about how your child's future will be affected by the outcome of the dispute, this can be a very troubling time, and sleep problems can make things worse.

Some people do not pay attention to issues such as difficulty sleeping, which can be very problematic not only in terms of their health but with their ability to secure a favorable custody outcome as well. Those who are deprived of sleep may have difficulty reviewing the details of their case and putting their best foot forward throughout the custody process and there are other challenges that may arise as well. Fortunately, there are a number of ways to potentially combat this problem, such as consulting with a medical professional and gaining some peace of mind by carefully going over the details of the dispute.

If you are a Missouri woman who has successfully climbed the corporate ladder to the point where you earn a significant salary, this is a good thing. But if you earn more than your husband does, it may not be such a good thing if the two of you divorce. Why? Because you may have to pay him manimony after the divorce.

If you have never run across the word manimony before, Wife.org explains that this is the nickname given to spousal support payments made by a woman to her former husband. While fewer than 15% of today's divorces nationwide result in manimony payments, nevertheless it is a growing phenomenon as ever more women achieve high-paying jobs. Actually, in roughly 40% of today's American households, the woman brings home the larger or only paycheck.