Experts and Resources

Divorce can be overwhelming, confusing, emotionally wrought and downright terrifying, with so much to consider and too much to do. We know having the right information at the right time is critical to you, so we've organized all of our resource content into a simple directory to the left to provide you quick, easy access to all the tools you need to make informed and powerful choices.

Your Final Divorce Decree Date May Affect Your Year End Taxes

Tips from a tax attorney on joint filing or filing separately

Posted to by Rachel Small on Mon, 08/30/2010 - 6:00am

First Wives World readers going through a split may find information from a tax attorney who specializes in divorce very helpful. Her tips, detailing how divorce can affect your income tax, appeared in the (Lancaster, Pa.) Intelligencer Journal.

Keep in mind that each year, December 31 is "D Day," or the date determining your marital status for income tax purposes. If by December 31 you have a final divorce decree, you can file as "single" or as "head of household."

If your divorce isn't final by the last day of December, you may continue to file jointly or married, filing separately. Joint filing will result in lower taxes but there's a downside, because you remain liable for your spouse's taxes if he/she doesn't pay. IRS rules are a bit complicated but we'll try to simplify them here:

For head of household, there are three requirements:

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The Effects Of Divorce on Adult Children

an exclusive series of articles written by children of divorce

Posted to by First Wives World on Sun, 08/29/2010 - 4:04am

Now that you’re “Divorced with Kids” instead of “Married with Children”, do you find yourself blaming your divorce for every little quirk in your kid's personality? More importantly, does your kid?

If you could climb into a time machine and travel to the future to find out from your kids just how much you think the divorce might have SCREWED them up, would you do it?

Well, while we don't have a time machine, here’s what we can offer: A panel of grown kids who—GASP—actually survived their parents’ divorce to provide us with a unique brand of expert insight on divorce: What helped them, what could have been better, and what just “totally sucked”.

Strap yourselves in and join Alyssa, A.J., Antonio, Vanessa, and Justin as they journey back to their parents’ divorces. Perhaps you'll see your life (and your kids) reflected in theirs. Or perhaps you'll just see a glimmer of hope through our small portal to the future.

From Children of Divorce:

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Selling The Marital Home

It was a roller coaster ride

Posted to by Cathy Meyer on Fri, 08/27/2010 - 5:15pm

In my last post, I mentioned that the legal aspects of my divorce had lingered, for lack of a better word, for seven years. I think First Wives World readers will have a better understanding of the obstacles I faced during those years with some background information.

Here's the thing: I wasn't the one who pursued the divorce. My ex- husband made that decision. Once he had made the decision, there was a paradigm shift in his brain and the man began to live in a parallel universe — one in which there is rational thought.

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Six Things You Should Never Do During Your Divorce

Key tips to keep your emotions in check

Posted to by Cathy Meyer on Fri, 08/27/2010 - 8:28am

Divorce laws are meant to protect all parties to a divorce — you, your spouse and your children.

But to take advantage of those rules, you'll need to follow them yourself. That means taking your attorney's advice and keeping a cool head, no matter how angry you might get. Feelings of anger, rejection or fear are not excuses for bad behavior. Keep your emotions under control so that you can take advantage of all the legal rights offered by your state's divorce laws.

Here are some things you should never do:

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Eight Easily Forgotten Tips for Protecting Your Kids Through Divorce

from custody and visitation to making sure they are not to blame

Posted to by Katherine McKee on Thu, 08/26/2010 - 4:14am

Kids are often traumatized when their parents go through divorce — the divorce, after all, isn’t just happening to the adults, it’s happening to the entire family.

Kids deserve hearing the truth from their parents about what's occurring in their lives, yet we can easily forget the basics of communication when going through something as emotionally challenging as divorce.

In his new book Divorce Solutions: How to Make Any Divorce Better, divorce attorney Ed Sherman offers a few simple, yet easily forgotten tips on how to tactfully explain your divorce to kids:

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Divorce Guide to New Mexico

A woman's guide to getting a divorce in New Mexico

Posted to by First Wives World on Mon, 08/23/2010 - 5:00pm

NEW MEXICO DIVORCE LAWS:

The Residency Requirement: One of the spouses must have been a resident of New Mexico for at least six months immediately preceding the filing, and have a home in New Mexico.

Grounds: No Fault: Incompatibility. Fault: Cruel and inhuman treatment; Adultery; Abandonment.

Property Division: New Mexico is a community-property state. This means each spouse retains the property he or she acquired before the marriage. Property acquired during the marriage is “community property,” and is divided equally between the parties (click the following for an expert's overview and key tips on dividing up property and assets through divorce).

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Stop the Suffering of Divorce

Posted to by Cathy Meyer on Thu, 08/19/2010 - 3:24pm

Our reaction to stressful events such as divorce can become so habitual that they occur without our awareness. We become so accustomed to reacting to stress in a certain way that it is second nature to us.

We aren't aware that we are reacting in a way that is harmful to us until we are plagued with physical or emotional problems that we can no longer ignore.

The way we react to stress depends on the way we think about a stressful event when it happens. Have you ever known anyone who seems to sail straight through the problems in their lives? There are people in the world who can deal smoothly with issues that might cripple others emotionally. I'm sure you've met such people and have even been envious of their ability to "take it on the chin."

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