A National Endowment for Financial Education poll analyzed “financial infidelity” among married adults. Two out of five of the adults polled admitted they had committed some type of financial deception during their marriage. Financial infidelity includes hiding purchases, money, or accounts or lying about debt owed or income earned.
Men were found to be more likely than women (47 vs. 39 percent) to report committing financial deception. While it would be nice to be able to trust one’s spouse during a divorce, realistically, if spouses are not transparent with finances during the marriage, they are unlikely to be transparent during…
Continue Reading Can Assets Be Frozen During an Illinois Divorce?

Divorce is financially stressful and emotionally exhausting, especially when one spouse refuses to play by the rules. When underhanded strategies are used by one spouse to gain an unfair advantage during a divorce, the other spouse may not know how to counter these tactics effectively. Having an experienced Will County, IL divorce attorney from Law Office of Ronald L. Hendrix, P.C. can help ensure you have a strong advocate in your corner who will always look out for your rights and your future. Below are the five most commonly seen sneaky divorce tactics.   
One Spouse is Hiding Assets from…
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According to Census Bureau data, those in the military have the highest divorce rate of any career field, at roughly 4.8 percent. When one or both spouses are members of the Armed Services and a divorce is at hand, there are extra challenges. Female service members have an even higher rate of divorce, at 7.4 percent. These divorce rates compare to the “average” divorce rate of 2.5 percent.
One cause of military divorce could be that service members tend to marry at a younger age than the general population, with more than half of our troops married before…
Continue Reading How Is an Illinois Military Divorce Different?

Perhaps you are a hardworking person whose husband has been less than hardworking throughout your marriage. In fact, this may be one of the reasons you have decided to divorce him. He may have had many work opportunities throughout your marriage but has declined to take a single one as he waits for the “perfect job.”
Now, although he is perfectly able-bodied, educated, and trained, he has decided he would rather continue to let you financially support him via spousal support, even after the divorce. What can you do? Alimony, more commonly known today as spousal support or spousal maintenance,…
Continue Reading Could My Husband Receive Alimony When He Refuses to Work? | Illinois

The Illinois Attorney General recently joined 13 other states in a lawsuit against TikTok, alleging harmful business practices that target children and teens negatively impact their mental health. The lawsuit alleges that TikTok intentionally designed its social media platform to keep children focusing their time and attention on the site.
A nationwide investigation against TikTok, launched in 2022, resulted in allegations against the site, including the potential for self-harm, anxiety, depression, sleep deprivation, and even suicide among children and teens. According to the investigation, TikTok aims to keep users on the platform as long as possible. The U.S. Surgeon General…
Continue Reading Is Your Teen Addicted to TikTok?

At least 20 percent of U.S. homes have a child with a disability, special healthcare needs, or a chronic illness. The challenges that arise when parenting a special needs child can be the reason for a divorce or one of many reasons that become the final “push” over the edge for a couple. The divorce rate for those with an autistic child is 80 percent – considerably higher than the divorce rate for parents without an autistic child.  
When a couple with a special needs child divorces, there are additional issues beyond the standard custody, visitation, and child support factors…
Continue Reading Co-Parenting a Special Needs Child After an Illinois Divorce

Divorce is often complex and emotional. It can be even more so if you are a spouse who wants to divorce your mentally ill spouse. Living with a loved one who has a diagnosed mental illness can be a constant roller coaster. You may have tried virtually every tip and tactic for dealing with your spouse’s mental illness.
If your relationship has become too emotionally draining or if your own mental health is being adversely affected, it could be time to consider divorce. To be clear, Illinois is now a no-fault divorce state, which means the only grounds for…
Continue Reading Can I Divorce My Mentally Ill Spouse in Illinois?

Asset division can be one of the more contentious aspects of an Illinois divorce. The assets with the highest value during a divorce are often the marital home and retirement funds. Yet the marital home may be overlooked for several reasons. If the divorce is particularly acrimonious, both parties may want to sell the home as quickly as possible and split the profits. If the real estate market is high, this could be the best course of action for both spouses. If the real estate market is in a downward spiral, keeping the home could be more lucrative until the…
Continue Reading Can the Marital Home Be a Significant Bargaining Chip? | IL

Most of us have a word – or several – that makes us cringe every time we hear it. But you may have never really thought about the word that can make your divorce and your children’s transition to divorce much harder than it needs to be. What is that word? “Visit.” As in, “You are going to visit your father this weekend.” Or “When you visit me, I want you to go to bed at 9:00.”
Why should this word be erased from your language where your children are concerned? Most of us think of “visit” in terms of…
Continue Reading How One Five-Letter Word Can Hurt Your Children After Divorce | IL

Divorce is a stressful, frustrating time for most couples. Depending on various factors, your divorce may take months or even a year or more to finalize. When you are dealing with one divorce issue after another, it can be difficult to keep your focus on your career. Whether your divorce is contested or uncontested and whether you have children with your spouse can significantly impact the time your divorce will take and the headaches you will face.
While there is no waiting period in the state of Illinois for an uncontested divorce – as long as you meet the residency …
Continue Reading Managing Your Divorce and Your Career

Almost from the beginning, divorce laws have varied immensely by region, with the first American divorce granted in 1639 in Massachusetts. While the law has evolved to the point that the goal is to treat both spouses the same during a divorce, some antiquated divorce laws remain on the books.
By the beginning of the 19th century, divorce, while still rare, was becoming more frequent. The advent of “no-fault” divorce in the 1970s and 1980s resulted in another significant increase in divorce, as spouses were no longer required to prove fault. More recently, divorce rates plateaued and then decreased over…
Continue Reading What Are the Strangest Divorce Laws Across the United States?

Divorce is a stressful time in a couple’s life. Perhaps financial struggles are one reason for the divorce. In fact, financial issues are the second leading cause of divorce after infidelity. As a couple, you may have even talked about filing for bankruptcy so the two of you could get a fresh financial start.
Now that you have decided to divorce, you may wonder whether you and your spouse should file bankruptcy before the divorce or whether it would be more beneficial to file after the divorce as a single person. The answer can be complex and unique to you…
Continue Reading Should Bankruptcy Be Filed Before or After a Divorce?

It is widely known that infidelity can damage a marriage. While some couples can work their way through infidelity and remain together, at least half of all couples who discover their spouse was unfaithful will divorce. Women are more likely to file for divorce following infidelity by their partners than men. Infidelity can also have financial implications during a divorce and after.
A bitter spouse with a grudge because of a partner’s infidelity is more likely to argue over assets, spousal support, and custody decisions. Clearly, infidelity affects marriage and divorce for adults, but how does a parent’s infidelity…
Continue Reading How Can a Parent’s Infidelity Affect the Children?