After 35 children (none of them infants) were abandoned in Nebraska under Nebraska’s safe haven law, Nebraska’s governor signed into law a 30 day age limit for the children that will be accepted under its safe haven law.
Read the full article here.
Archive for November, 2008
When to update your Will
November 25, 2008When do I need to update my Will?
Typical reasons for changing or updating a Will are:
(1) Marriage or divorce;
(2) Birth or adoption of a child;
(3) Death of a family member or beneficiary;
(4) Changes in the Federal Estate Tax laws or State Tax laws;
(5) Substantial change in the value of your estate;
(6) Change in the nature of your property holdings—for example, if your Will leaves the farm to a son, and the ranch to your daughter, and half the balance to your son and daughter, and then you sell the farm, your daughter would wind up with more (the whole ranch plus one half of everything else) than your son (who would get only one half of the balance);
(7) A Guardian or Executor or Trustee moves away, dies, or is no longer willing or able to serve;
(8) Your children are no longer minors, or are old enough to handle financial matters on their own;
(9) You move to another state; or
(10) You wish to eliminate gifts to certain beneficiaries.
Divorce, Children, and the Holidays
November 25, 2008The holiday season is particularly difficult for children whose parents are divorced, especially the first post-divorce holiday season. Abby Deliz’s article “Helping Children of Divorce Cope During Holidays: Tips for Divorced Parents to Survive the Holiday Season,” discusses how the children may feel and tips to help your children deal with the situation, including:
- Don’t overindulge the child with too many gifts
- Parents shouldn’t compete with each other over who gets to give the “better” gift
- Have a set holiday schedule that the child knows about in advance
- Make new holiday traditions
- Set a positive example by getting along with your ex and allowing your child to visit both parents
Please see the entire article for more on the emotional health of your child during the holidays and more tips!
Divorce Mistakes and Tips
November 25, 2008Divorce Mistakes and Tips
1. Don’t use your children as pawns
2. Don’t start a new relationship first, then put your divorce second on the “to-do” list
3. Not hiring an attorney
4. Using verbal abuse
5. Rubbing salt in the wound
6. Using a difficult attorney
7. Becoming passive
8. Arguing over who gets what
9. Serving spouse with divorce papers in embarrassing places
10. Responding with anger
11. Not knowing (liquidity) of assets
12. Failure to consider tax consequences
13. Not understanding retirement accounts
14. Overlooking debt and credit rating issues
15. Not maintaining control over insurance policies
16. Failure to budget (lifestyle; alimony, child support, etc.)
17. Failure to identify hidden assets
18. Negotiating w/o a proper inventory
19. Letting friends tell you what you need or how to feel
20. Trying to win spouse back by being generous
21. Viewing divorce filing as “scare tactic” and therefore, not serious
22. Being unprepared
23. Not seeking financial advice
24. Rushing to court
25. Failing to untangle your assets
26. Not considering mediation
27. Emotional attachment to assets during divorce negotiations
28. Using your divorce lawyer as a financial planner, therapist, or messenger
29. Beware of settlement offer that looks too good
30. Forgetting to update Estate documents
31. Is there a Power of Attorney, living will, etc. involved
32. Being in a hurry to settle, for unfavorable terms
33. Taking advice from lay people
34. Hiring a lawyer who is not a good fit personally
35. Hiring a lawyer in a hurry
36. Getting stuck on minor details, or alimony
37. Not keeping accurate records of child support payments
38. Doing a quick and sloppy job on financial records
39. Neglecting the kids
40. Not taking outside consultants seriously
41. Talking too much
42. Concealing information from your lawyer
43. Becoming consumed by your divorce
44. Not seeking emotional counseling
45. Making unreasonable demands
46. Making recorded statements to others
47. Speaking with Opposing Counsel
48. Not taking your attorney’s advice
49. Not keeping a parenting notebook
50. Involving your children in the divorce proceedings
