divorce

WASHINGTON -- The institution of marriage in the United States has steadily declined in strength over the past four decades, according to a report released last month by a panel of scholars and advocates. The U.S. Marriage Index, the brainchild of David Blankenhorn, president of the Institute for American Values, seeks to quantify the health of marriage in the United States in the same way Read more...

When you're 40, chances are you're not the same person you were at 20, and your estate plan should reflect the changes you've experienced. Here's a rundown of the estate-planning tools you should have if you're just beginning your life's journey, midway through or approaching the final leg. Young, single and carefree "When you're a child, your parents can make financial and medical Read more...

Divorce could give you more than a broken heart -- it could also give you a heart attack. The finding emerges in one of a number of pieces of research which remind us that emotional and mental states can have a dramatic effect on health. The study suggests that the effects of divorce on physical health are significant, negative and long lasting. Another study found that the pain Read more...

When California became the first state in the nation to legally adopt "no-fault" divorce in 1969, it accomplished by legislative fiat what no unhappy couple ever had -- making divorce completely blameless. Few of life's contractual arrangements seem better suited to the assignment of fault than divorce -- the dissolution of a legal contract to which both parties pledged to remain Read more...

ISLAMORADA, Fla. -- It's easy to see why bookkeeper Linda Mortimer moved to the Florida Keys 20 years ago: the impossibly blue water, the year-round sunshine, a lifestyle so laid-back that every day is like a Jimmy Buffett lyric. What Mortimer didn't anticipate was falling in love -- and then getting divorced less than two years after taking her wedding vows. "I discovered after we Read more...

A woman goes to a bank and meets with a loan officer. "I want a loan," she tells him. "I'm going to divorce my husband." "Oh, we don't give loans for divorces," says the loan officer. "We do make loans for automobiles, businesses, home improvements ..." The woman interrupts. "Well, getting rid of him would certainly be a home Read more...

Women tend to bear the brunt, both financially and emotionally, for divorce, death of spouse, serious illness or disability, a U.S. survey indicates. A nationwide survey by AARP Financial Inc. indicates 65 percent of women age 40-79 surveyed had already experienced a major life crisis. "No one escapes the financial implications of a life crisis, but they are particularly acute Read more...

Breaking up is hard to do, but during a recession, it's even tougher. Throughout Central Florida, couples who want to split up are handicapped: by the high cost of attorneys' fees, because they can't sell their homes or can't afford to set up two households. So some of them are stuck living together -- miserably. "Some are agreeing to be roommates and stay at separate ends of the Read more...

So the story of your marriage ended less like a romantic comedy and more like a Shakespearean tragedy. You may feel like crawling into bed with Ben & Jerry's, but rather than giving into temptation, focus on the future. "Think of the time and energy expended on your former partnership and the divorce proceedings as a tangible asset," says Ellen Sabin, former executive director of Read more...

Stress associated with marital separation may compromise an individual's immune system and lead to a greater susceptibility to cancer, U.S. researchers say. Gwen Sprehn of the Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis analyzed data from the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results database, a population-based U.S. cancer registry. The researchers assessed the 5- and 10-year Read more...