The decision to get a divorce from your spouse is no doubt a difficult one, yet one that you typically will not arrive at without having your reasons. The question that many in Jackson County have asked us here at the Stange Law Firm is whether the state will justify those reasons. You are likely familiar with the term "grounds for divorce," which seemingly implies that you must have a valid reason to end your marriage. While that is true, that is not to say that only an egregious action by you or your ex-spouse will warrant a divorce.
Identifying Missouri's grounds for divorce
The rise of rehabilitative alimony
Alimony has long been viewed by many in Jackson County as almost being a punitive obligation placed on a person for being more financially successful than their ex-spouse. It is also almost universally assumed that the one obliged to pay alimony will be the husband (due to the fact that, until recently, societal norms have been that the husband serves as the provider for the family). This assumption is supported by the fact that, according to Forbes Magazine, of the 400,000 people recorded has receiving alimony in the U.S. in 2014, only 3 percent were men.
Will you pay manimony when you divorce?
If you are a married Missouri woman whose salary or wage surpasses that of your husband, it may surprise you to learn that should the two of you divorce, you may have to make spousal support payments to your husband. As Wife.org explains, this reasonably new wrinkle to alimony goes by the nickname of manimony.
Is the divorce rate really falling?
If you are like a lot of people in Missouri, you may have long heard others talk about the divorce rate in America. Most people today know someone who has been divorced and may either have experienced a parental divorce or a divorce of their own. While not an uncommon experience, some recent research may point to a reduction in the divorce rate in America.
Breaking news of a divorce to your child
Missouri parents who have decided to divorce have a lot of worries to handle. One of the top concerns involves parents trying to decide how they're going to break the news to their children. While the options vary depending on the child's age and temperament, there are still some general rules of thumb that can be applied to most situations.
Should you consider a postnuptial agreement?
Family law experts in Jackson County will often recommend that you and your spouse enter into a prenuptial agreement prior to your marriage in order to protect each of your existing financial interests should your marriage end. Yet even the experts may agree that not every marriage may need a prenup. Neither of you may have brought significant assets into your marriage, or even if you did, you may have decided that you ultimately did not care how they might be divided should you separate (which likely seemed to be an impossibility at the time).
What does the tax cut act mean for divorces?
The president's Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, slated to take effect Dec. 31 of this year, has added a new wrinkle to divorce proceedings in Missouri. Spouses headed for divorce and the attorneys representing them may be already either trying to rush proceedings or slow them down, depending on which one earns more money, according to the American Bar Association.
Remember to revisit your will after your divorce
After your divorce in Jackson County becomes final, you may feel a certain sense of finality. That feeling, however, may be fleeting, as you quickly realize just how much your now ex-spouse was involved in the many different facets of your life. Thus begins the process of removing him or her from the many pertinent personal records he or she might still be found on. Many clients come to us here at the Stange Law Firm asking for assistance in doing this, and one of the documents we remind them to revisit is their wills. The reason for this reminder is that many may often forget to do it.
Dispute over property leaves results in duo's arrests
It is often said that there is a thin line between love and hate. Perhaps this explains why so many divorce cases in Jackson County are prone to get messy. People invest a great deal of time, energy and emotion into their marriages, so it may come as little surprise that if and when those relationships fall apart, bitter disputes immediately ensue. All of the positive emotion that one feels for a partner may quickly be pushed over to the other side of the proverbial line, leading to complicated confrontations that can often introduce new complexities into a divorce case.
What are some pros and cons of a prenuptial agreement?
A prenuptial agreement may not be very romantic, but it can be the right choice for future spouses who want to protect a business or personal assets in Missouri. Because let's face it, we all know the divorce rate in the U.S. is 50 percent and this document offers some peace of mind. FindLaw offers several pros and cons to consider when you're weighing your options, listed below.
