People older than 50 in Texas and throughout the country were more likely to get a divorce in 2010 than people of the same age were 20 years earlier. However, research shows that women may be particularly affected by divorce from a financial standpoint. According to a...
Year: 2016
Understanding the financial impact of divorce
There are several financial issues that couples must consider when their marriage is coming to an end. As a community property state, Texas law in general requires all assets acquired during the marriage to be divided equally. However, there are a few exceptions, such...
Mediation provides extra layer of divorce privacy
There are many, many reasons couples prefer the salacious details of their divorces not become part of the Texas public records. Maybe an extramarital affair left someone with a sexually transmitted disease or pregnant with an out-of-wedlock child. Physical or...
Determining paternity in Texas
If an unmarried Texas couple has a child, it is important that paternity be established as soon as possible. This is because establishing paternity creates a legal relationship between a father and child in addition to the biological one that they already have. For...
Is it a good idea to adopt my stepchild?
When a Texas stepparent adopts a stepchild, the legal bond between the two gives the stepparent the ability to make medical decisions for the child, seek custody in the event the get divorced from their spouse or the spouse dies and provide or seek child support....
Divorce and shared parenting
When Texas parents go through a divorce, ensuring the well-being of their young children is most likely a top priority. Not so long ago, the parents may have assumed that the mother would have custody of the children and the father would get visitation rights....
What happens in a divorce when one spouse is a high-wage earner?
It is common for one spouse to make a lot more than the other spouse in a marriage, but how does this affect a divorce? Does it change how the court divides property and debt? Is one party favored over the other?Generally speaking, property and debts are divided the...
Myths and realities regarding child custody and domestic violence
Texas residents may have heard of some common myths surrounding domestic violence and child custody. When these myths are believed, they could hurt the families in these positions, and children particularly are more at risk of exhibiting signs of post-traumatic stress...
The importance of prenuptial agreements
Premarital agreements are not exclusive to just high net worth couples. Texans with modest assets may have good reasons to create financial agreements before they get married. Prenuptial agreements can be valuable to those who own a business with other people, who...
A divorce doesn’t have to be dreadful
So often, we hear divorce horror stories. A couple spends months, or even years, in court battling over assets, property and their own children. They drain their savings and neither party gets what he or she wants in the end. Children are left angry and hurt. No one...