Marriage and divorce are the most common reasons cited for changing a last name. If you are divorcing your spouse and wish to change your last name, follow these easy steps.
Changing your name after divorce in Pennsylvania
Divorce-a-phobes may make breaking up hard to do
Things are different today for couples who have decided to call it quits. Couples in Pennsylvania who wish to divorce will find the process much less complicated today, and there is less stigma attached to conscious uncoupling. Yet there are still some people who can be labeled divorce-a-phobes, and they don't miss a beat when it comes to shaming those who are divorced. But the culprit may actually be marriage.
Many experts say that the marriage bar is set so high that it is almost impossible to reach the height. So, when marriages fail, the couple may be judged and shamed for not being able to live up to the ideals espoused by many regarding marriage. Society tends to commend those who stick with it through thick and thin. Stay and suffer seems to be lauded in many instances, rather than cut loose and run.
Property division involving business venture can be challenging
Getting a divorce is never an easy process from a financial standpoint. However, dissolving a marriage can be particularly complicated when a business venture is at the center of a couple's property division dispute. Still, business owners who have prenuptial agreements in place may best protect their interests during the divorce process in Pennsylvania.
Prenuptial agreements are essentially contracts that spell out how a couple's assets will be split in the event that they get divorced in the future. These agreements must be created and signed prior to the wedding. A business owner who has a business partner may save his or her business during a potential divorce by producing a prenuptial agreement declaring that any pre-marital assets' appreciation will go to the partner during the divorce. The prenuptial agreement may also help to protect the business partner's stake in the company and keep the business owner's spouse from receiving a share.
Proper financial planning is critical following divorce
Dissolving a marriage generally is not a pleasant process, no matter how amicable the two divorcing spouses may be. After all, divorce can impact a couple both emotionally and financially. The financial aspect of divorce can especially be unsettling for those nearing retirement in Pennsylvania.
Research has indicated that nearly 60 percent of those who have gone through divorce probably won't have enough money saved up for retirement. Part of the reason for this is poor financial planning for the future. It is for this reason that the division of marital assets is important to incorporate into a divorcing spouse's financial outlook. It may also behoove the spouse to consider that his or her living expenses will increase following divorce -- another important thing to factor into his or her financial outlook.
Finances can be source of confusion during divorce
The marital breakup process can be overwhelming due to its many moving parts. Tackling the financial aspect of the divorce may especially be intimidating. However, a few tips may help those going through divorce in Pennsylvania to navigate this type of family law proceeding with confidence.
First, it is paramount that a divorcing spouse start to establish his or her own credit. This involves removing his or her name from joint accounts. This move, of course, may cause the spouse to lose some of his or her established credit history and thus take a credit score hit, but he or she can establish new credit and focus on improving it in the years ahead.
Uncontested divorce may be wise move in certain cases
The worst-case scenario during the dissolution of a marriage is for two spouses in Pennsylvania to be at odds about virtually every aspect of the marital breakup. On the flip side, the best-case scenario is for both parties to be in agreement about the divorce. In this situation, they may want to file for an uncontested divorce.
An uncontested divorce is usually available to spouses who do not have any remaining disagreements about basic divorce matters. These matters include, for instance, spousal support, child custody and property division. The benefit of the uncontested divorce process is that it can save both money and time.
Appealing your divorce could win you custody of your children
Divorce is an ordeal. During its course, you may find yourself in situations where you lose more than you expected, including custody of your child. It is a terrible feeling to weather the storm of a divorce only to come out with less custody than you fought for. This doesn’t have to be the end, though. There may be a chance for you to change the judge’s decision.
Situations vary, but the opportunity to appeal your divorce ruling and win additional visitation time or even custody of your child may present itself. Making an appeal is often complicated, and simply being unhappy with the results of your divorce does not necessarily mean you have grounds to make one. If you do have valid grounds, though, it could make a lifetime of difference.
2 fathers ignite child custody battle
When parents decide to separate, one of the biggest questions and disputes that can arise involves the custody of children. In Pennsylvania and across the country, laws are in place to facilitate the needs of children and offer protection. However, it is not uncommon for parents to disagree on child custody arrangements. Recently in another state, a custody battle involving a 5-year-old girl made headlines.
Reports indicate the custody dispute involved the girl's biological father and the man that was married to the girl's mother at her time of birth. According to custody laws in the girl's state, when a child is born, the legal father is presumed to be the husband of the child's mother. Apparently, the girl's biological father is seeking parenting rights and shared custody.
Protecting assets critical during divorce
The dissolution of a marriage is not an easy process no matter how amicably it may start out. Aside from the children, one of the biggest sources of conflict during divorce is the couple's finances. A couple of tips may help those going through divorce in Pennsylvania to protect themselves financially before the divorce process even begins.
First, getting a post office box may be a smart move before beginning a divorce proceeding. This may help to prevent anything related to one's desire to get a divorce from reaching the marital home's mailbox, where the other party can intercept it. A post office box can ultimately protect one's privacy and ensure that the other party does not get his or her hands on essential documents.
Dividing debt may be challenging during divorce
The dissolution of a marriage in Pennsylvania is not an easy process by any means. After all, two spouses essentially have to learn how to untangle their intertwined emotional and financial lives -- a process that can quickly become messy. A particular aspect of divorce that often leads to conflict is the division of debts, namely auto and student loan debt.
Auto loans in particular can be handled in various ways. In many situations, both spouses will keep the motor vehicles they drive and simply assume the payments, even if both of their names are on the loans. However, if they can refinance their car loans so that only their names are on the loans for the cars they plan to keep, this may help to alleviate financial conflict following the divorce.
