Is Your Spouse Addicted to Opioids?

New Jersey is not immune from the nation’s opioid epidemic. 

  • For every 100 prescriptions written in New Jersey, 55 of these are for opioids.
  • Over 184,000 New Jersey residents have been admitted into treatment facilities for heroin or opioid abuse since 2010. 
  • Over 5,000 heroin-related deaths have occurred in New Jersey since 2004. 
  • The number of prescription/synthetic opioid-related deaths has increased twentyfold over the past 14 years. 

And here is one more tragic statistic: approximately 50% of marriages affected by addiction end in divorce. Read more

Married To An Addict: Is Divorce Inevitable?

saving marriage from addiction

Almost 50% of marriages involving substance abuse end in divorce. Can your relationship can survive the impact of your spouse’s addiction? Before you call it quits, learn steps that can help you reclaim your marriage and rebuild the love and trust that addiction destroyed.  Read more

You Deserve Better: 6 Signals It’s Time To Divorce

thinking about divorce?

You’ve been unhappy in your marriage for awhile, but you’re not sure if you should pull the plug and divorce. While there’s no perfect partner out there, you need someone who’s committed to working through problems. If your instinct says “it’s over,” here are some signs that you might be correct.   Read more

Asset Division Dilemma: The House Or The Retirement Account?

retirement divorce asset

You and your spouse have sat down to negotiate your division of marital assets and there is a very big decision that the two of you will need to make.

You own a home together — a home that you very much want to stay in after your divorce — and your spouse has a retirement account through work that he/she very much wants to remain intact and free from division. Your spouse makes you an offer: you can take 100% of their equity in the home and assume sole ownership of the home, if in return, you give up any claim to the retirement account. Dollar-wise, the amount of money in play appears to be about the same.

Should you say yes? It’s exactly what you want, after all. Or is this offer too good to be true?

Let’s take a closer look at this very common asset negotiation tactic.   Read more

Gray Divorce: 4 Ways to Future-Proof Alimony and Protect Your Finances

thinking about how alimony safeguards your future

Bankruptcy rates among Americans over age 65 have tripled in recent decades. The reason why appears to be a perfect storm of financial strains — from spiraling health care costs and rising living expenses to too little in retirement and personal savings. If you are older and planning to divorce, you may be concerned about how your split will impact your financial future, especially if you will pay — or receive — alimony.

What if you can’t pay the alimony amount you’re ordered to — or if the amount you receive isn’t enough? What happens to alimony when you retire? What about taxes? And what other sources of income and support can you draw from in your senior years?  Read more

Can I stop my ex from introducing our children to their new dating partner?

dating, divorce and parenting time

Even if you are at peace with your divorce, finding out your ex is dating someone new can stir up a hornet’s nest of emotions, especially when you have children together. What if your your kids aren’t ready for this big step or have expressed reluctance in their parent dating? Do you have any rights for preventing a new boyfriend or girlfriend from taking part in parenting time?  Read more

7 Ways Addiction Can Destroy A Marriage

Addiction exacts such a heavy toll on marriage for one simple reason: Addicts have problems in their relationships because their primary attachment is not to their spouse, but to their drug of choice.  Read more

Can I Get A Divorce Without My Spouse’s Consent? 

can one spouse stop a divorce

Are you heading for a divorce road block? As a recent case in the United Kingdom demonstrated, it’s still possible in this day and age for a divorce to be called off because one spouse doesn’t want one. Read more

5 Ways To Ask For A Prenuptial Agreement

Asking for a prenuptial agreement

Sitting down with the person you love and asking him or her to sign a prenuptial agreement isn’t a conversation anyone wants to have. But it’s a critical one. What you say, and the manner in which you say it, can increase or destroy the trust between you.

Here are five ways to ask for a prenup that can actually make your relationship stronger. Read more

What New Jersey’s New Surrogacy Law Means For Your Plans to Have a Baby Via Gestational Carrier

lgbt surrogacy

Same-sex couples who wish to become parents and couples struggling with infertility may have just had their dreams of having a baby move a bit closer to reality, thanks to the passage of New Jersey’s new gestational surrogacy law. 
Read more