FIRE Divorce: What Happens When An “Financial Independence, Retire Early” Couple Splits?

FIRE divorce

You and your spouse were on FIRE. You worked hard at your financial independence with the goal to retire early. You might already be retired right now, living off the dividends of your hard-earned nest egg and passive investments, and with little to no debt. Financially, your marriage was a success. Personally, however, things were far from ideal, and now you and your spouse have made the difficult decision to divorce.

When a FIRE marriage ends, does financial independence end with it? Read more

The Peter Pan Generation: How To Help Your Adult Child Transition To Adulthood

Peter Pan Generation

Do you have an adult child who’s struggling to leave your nest? While the pandemic sent many young adults running back to their childhood home, the “forever child” Peter Pan generation has been around for a while. A 2016 Pew Research Study found that 32% of 18 to 34-year-olds were more likely to live with their parents than in any other living situation. That number soared to 52% during the pandemic, even more than during the Great Depression! 

With college campuses closing, businesses shuttering, and housing costs rising, the struggle to live independently is real. But unless you intend to have your adult children take up permanent residence in your basement, you and your co-parent need to help your children step out of the shadows and start living their own independent adult lives Read more

4 Ways Abusers Are Using High Tech To Stalk In 2022 — And What You Can Do To Protect Yourself

cyberstalking in 2022

Is your phone being used to spy on you? How about your car? As “smart” internet-enabled technologies continue to evolve, unfortunately, so too do the techniques abusive spouses use to twist these advances into manipulative tools of surveillance and cyberstalking. 

Should you be concerned for your safety? In 2022, you need to learn four new ways abusers are using high tech to stalk — and the steps you can to protect yourself. Read more

The Ross and Rachel Effect: How To Recover A Relationship When One Spouse Cheats “On a Break”

cheating during marital separation

When Ross and Rachel from the hit sit-com Friends infamously took a break from their relationship, Ross had a one-night stand. The issues that triggered the schism, busy work schedules and miscommunication, were small potatoes compared to their conflicting views on what was permissible during a separation. Ross’s insistence that he didn’t cheat “because we were on a break!” and Rachel’s insistence that he did cheat because she believed it wasn’t clear they were on a break morphed into a permanent rupture – for a few seasons, at least! 

So, let’s talk about sex outside the relationship when you and your partner have officially agreed to go on hiatus. Here are some common concerns, and how to navigate them. Read more

Divorce in NJ in 2022: For Those About To File, What’s New? 

divorce in NJ in 2022

Made the decision to get a divorce in NJ in 2022? Divorce best practices are constantly changing, and this year is no exception. What should you watch out for as you begin the divorce process? Find out three key changes that affect divorce in New Jersey in 2022.  Read more

Divorce in NJ in 2022: Men, Avoid These Top Divorce Blunders

divorce in NJ in 2022 men

Divorce in NJ in 2022:  You’ve made the decision to divorce this year. What’s next? For starters, you need to know that men navigating the New Jersey divorce process are at higher risk for making certain costly mistakes, resulting in a loss of both money and time. Ready to get your 2022 divorce off to the best start possible? Here’s a look at common men’s divorce blunders — and how to avoid them! Read more

Divorce in NJ in 2022: Women, Don’t Make These Costly Mistakes!

nj divorce 2022 women

Have you made the decision to divorce in 2022? As you start the divorce process in New Jersey, you need to be aware of costly mistakes that women often make in divorce — and how to avoid them. 

Here are five common pitfalls women should watch out for, with tips for how to keep your divorce error-free.  Read more

Marriage Not In The Cards? Here’s Why You Need A Palimony Agreement

palimony agreements

In any long-term relationship, either partner can entertain thoughts of “what happens if this ends?” When partners are married, a concerned spouse can simply look up information on divorce law to get a rough idea of how marital assets could be divided in divorce and how much alimony they may receive to help maintain their marital lifestyle. 

For unmarried cohabiting partners, answering this same question is not so easy. An unmarried couple cannot technically create marital property and rules regarding alimony don’t apply. 

So what can unmarried couples do to protect themselves? The answer is “palimony,” which refers to financial compensation or property rights that one cohabiting partner agrees to give to the other partner should the relationship end.

Are you in a cohabiting relationship and curious about what a palimony agreement could offer you? Here are some dos and don’s and how-to tips for establishing a palimony agreement in New Jersey. Read more

Kim Kardashian Just Asked A Judge to Be Declared “Legally Single” — How Is This Different From Divorce? 

Kim Kardashian filed for divorce from Kanye West in February. Less than a year later, Kardashian is back in court to ask a judge to declare her “legally single” amidst the couple’s ongoing divorce proceedings. 

What Kardashian is requesting is a legal tactic called a “bifurcated divorce” that enables a judge to issue a judgment that dissolves marital status while setting aside custody, asset division and other potentially time-consuming issues to be resolved at a later time.

Bifurcated divorce is an option available in New Jersey in certain divorce situations. Is this type of divorce right for you? Here’s what you need to know. Read more

When Art Imitates Divorce: The Splitting of An Art Fortune Has Lessons for The Rest of Us 

clients looking at painting in art gallery

An acrimonious divorce resulted in a recording-setting art auction for Sotheby’s when the “Macklowe Collection” garnered $676.1 million in sales this past Monday.

The blue-chip art collection, including pieces by Jackson Pollack, Mark Rothko and Andy Warhol, was acquired by real estate magnate Harry and Linda Marlowe, a board member at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, over the course of their 50-year marriage. 

The collection was a source of great pride for the couple. During their divorce, however, the amassed art turned into a source of heated conflict as both spouses dug in on asset division. Linda wanted to keep the collection intact, but Harry disagreed. Neither spouse could agree to a value on the collection. After wrangling over the art for three years, a judge finally ordered the pair to sell off everything and split the proceeds. 

As  the NYPost reported: 

[Insider Vicky] Ward told The Post, “The art collection was what bonded Harry and Linda. If there had been no art collection they would have never stayed together. Harry absolutely respected her eye.”

But, Ward added, “This was the toxic marriage from hell. The level of vitriol, but at the same time this extraordinary bond, was there. They needed each other and they destroyed each other.”

Ward maintained that Linda wanted to keep the collection together, even after the divorce, and Harry pressed to break it up because “she forced him to sell the General Motors Building, which symbolized the apex of his career. This auction is the ultimate tit for tat.”

Do you have a collection — of art, wine, antiques, or even Beanie Babies — that’s a sore spot in your divorce? Here are three takeaways from the Macklowe divorce and art collection sell off that can help maintain perspective when dividing collection with high value and sentimentality. Read more