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Posted on in Divorce

Activities That Distract You From Divorce StressWhen going through a divorce, it is common for the process to consume your thoughts, even when you are supposed to be taking a break. Some divorce anxiety is understandable and shows that you appreciate the importance of the decisions you are making. However, you could be building towards a nervous breakdown if you cannot occasionally distract yourself from that stress. Simply relaxing may not be enough to help you temporarily forget about your divorce. You need to find activities that are both physically and mentally engaging.

Exercise

A fitness routine helps many people treat their daily anxieties. It is tempting to forgo regular exercise because your divorce, work life, and personal life leave you exhausted. However, exercise can benefit you in ways that normal relaxation cannot, such as:

  • Expelling your built-up stress;
  • Making you feel healthier;
  • Releasing endorphins that can improve your mood; and
  • Improving your sleeping.

Exercise comes in many forms besides running on a treadmill or lifting weights. You can join classes for aerobics, yoga, dance, or martial arts. Outdoor activities, such as hiking, cycling or rock climbing, can be a source of fun and exercise. Joining classes or groups will also add a social component to your experience that can help distract you.

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Posted on in Divorce

Which Times in a Marriage Is Divorce Most Likely to Occur?Divorce researchers have long sought ways to predict when marriage will end in divorce. There are too many variables to create a formula that will calculate your chances of divorce, but researchers explore many factors that correlate with increased divorce risk. One factor is whether the number of years you have been married will affect your risk of divorce. You may logically conclude that your chances of divorce will steadily decrease the longer you are married. Instead, divorce statistics show three separate periods during the length of a marriage when the risk of divorce is typically the highest.

First Two Years

The start of a marriage is understandably a time when a marriage may be vulnerable. The couple is learning what it is like to be married to each other, which is different from being in a long-term relationship:

  • Feelings of romance are joined or replaced by the serious responsibilities of being in a marriage;
  • Financial stress may test the couple’s relationship for the first time; and
  • People who are no longer courting each other may relax and show unseen sides of their personalities.

The first two years are when a couple is most likely to realize that their marriage was a mistake and cut ties before they become any more attached to each other.

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Tagged in: divorce risk duration of marriage McHenry County divorce attorney
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Posted on in Divorce

Appropriate Tasks for Different Members of Your Divorce Support SystemYou will often find a strong support system behind people who successfully go through a divorce. Divorcees will rely on the kindness of friends, family, professionals and even some casual acquaintances who have experience with divorce. It is important to find your support system when going through a divorce, but you also need to know what to ask of each member. A family member should not be making legal decisions related to your divorce. Asking your divorce attorney to console you when you are depressed is an ineffective use of the time you are paying him or her for. There are more appropriate ways for your support system to help you.

Friends and Family

Adult members of your family and your close friends are the people you can rely on for help with your personal life during your divorce. They are the people you turn to when you need:

  • A sympathetic shoulder to cry on;
  • Help with completing daily tasks;
  • Someone to watch your children on short notice; or
  • Someone who can help you forget your stress for a moment.

The friends in your support system should be people who have a limited personal connection with your spouse or a much stronger relationship with you. A mutual friend of you and your spouse may feel uncomfortable picking sides during your divorce.

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Posted on in Property Division

A Prenuptial Agreement Can Protect Your Business During DivorceBusiness owners must prioritize securing their business and its assets during a divorce. In most cases, a business is a marital property that is included during the division of property. Business owners are unlikely to split ownership with a divorcing spouse who did not own or help run the business during their marriage. However, the two sides may dispute the value of the business and how much the other spouse should receive to offset that value. As a business owner, you can plan ahead to protect your business during a potential divorce by including it in a prenuptial or postnuptial agreement.

Why Is Your Business a Marital Property?

Spouses normally differentiate between marital and nonmarital properties based on whether one of them purchased the property before their marriage. However, a business predating a marriage is not enough evidence to make it a nonmarital property:

  • You may have invested marital money into your business; 
  • Your business may be the primary source of income in your marriage; and
  • Your spouse may have sacrificed part of his or her career to allow you to focus on your business.

Your spouse can claim that the amount that your business increased in value during your marriage is marital property.

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Posted on in Property Division

Divorcees Must Modify Deed, Mortgage for Marital HomeYou and your spouse will decide which of you will retain ownership of your marital home after your divorce. However, the division of property in a divorce agreement is not enough to completely transfer ownership of the home to one person. As long as both of your names are on the deed and mortgage, you both will have some control over and responsibility for the home. The most efficient way to settle the issue is to transfer the deed and modify the mortgage while your divorce is still ongoing.

Potential Problems

Your divorce agreement states your intention for one of you to occupy and control your marital home after your divorce. It does not automatically change your deed or mortgage. Failing to update these documents may not have immediate consequences but will eventually cause complications:

  • One of you cannot sell the home without the other’s approval if the deed still says that you both own the home;
  • The person who no longer lives in the home could be liable for property tax and mortgage payments if the occupant does not pay them; and
  • If the occupant files for bankruptcy, the mortgage lender can pressure the other person on the mortgage to pay the remainder.

It is easier to settle these issues between each other now than returning to court years later when you are having problems.

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Tagged in: deed and mortgage marital home McHenry County divorce attorney property division
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