Approximately 50% of marriages end in divorce in the United States. That leaves a lot of parents trying to figure out a way to co-parent at Christmas with their estranged spouse. Now with the additional challenge of a pandemic, co-parents are facing completely different types of struggles. How can you […] Read more »

While some people who are anxious about the novel coronavirus are stocking up on toilet paper and Tylenol, others are calling lawyers to get their affairs in order. Rockville estate attorney Steven Widdes says that in just one week he’s seen an increase of about 50 percent in calls from […] Read more »

Most of us would like to be remembered for who we were, not what we had. Still, if you have any assets that you’ve accumulated during your lifetime that you plan to leave behind, it’s on you to figure out who gets what. That decision can be particularly fraught if […] Read more »

Getting your children ready to go back to school can be expensive. It can also create additional problems for families in divorced homes because child support doesn’t include back-to-school shopping. Alan Plevy, a Family Law Attorney and Principal at SmolenPlevy, says school supplies tend to become an out-of-pocket expense, often […] Read more »

A healthy Shih Tzu named Emma was euthanized after a Virginia woman included in her will that she wanted to be buried with her beloved pet. Is it legal for a pet owner to determine a healthy four-legged friend should be put to death, when the owner is no longer […] Read more »

A Richmond, Virginia, Shih Tzu is reportedly dead because of a request in her late owner’s will. According to WWBT, Emma the dog was put in the temporary custody of Chesterfield County Animal Services on March 8, following the death of her owner. Even though the Shih Tzu was healthy, she […] Read more »

There’s no shortage of fancy stuff wealthy folks can lavish on their pets: $20,000 dog houses, $9,000 cat condo towers, $3,000 mattresses studded with gold. Notwithstanding such extravagances, making sure that clients’ beloved pets live in the style to which they’re accustomed after their owner’s death is an idea that’s […] Read more »

German-born fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld said before his death in February that he was leaving his Birman cat, Choupette, a fortune, which has made some pet owners stop to think. The will or estate plan takes care of the kids, the grandkids and maybe even some miscellaneous friends, but what […] Read more »

“Second marriages are a real mixed bag,” says Judith McGee of McGee Wealth Management in Portland, Ore. Specifically, she’s talking about their financial implications. Case in point: a middle-aged client who happened to get laid off from his well-paid job around the time his second wife bore twins. Besides needing […] Read more »

Divorcing couples are scrambling to finalize their cases before the end of the year as a result of President Trump’s tax law. The 2017 GOP tax overhaul eliminates the deduction for alimony payments in divorce agreements entered into after Dec. 31, 2018. That means beginning next month, tax savings for many […] Read more »

TYSONS CORNER, Va. — Most of us are thinking joyful thoughts as we get close to the holidays. But here’s some cheerful news: If you’re thinking divorce, you better get moving. “It’s stressful. It really is,” said a Montgomery County mom we’ll call “Mary.” She’s among those stressing the big […] Read more »

When Maggie, an administrative associate in South Carolina, married her husband eight years ago, she opted to co-mingle their finances. She was a traveling actor at the time and he was working in the IT department at a public university, so neither of them were very financially stable, but they […] Read more »

WASHINGTON — “If we win, we won’t have to show up for work on Monday” — that fantasy is likely being stoked among co-workers in thousands of workplaces (including the WTOP newsroom) as they team up to buy tickets for Friday night’s Mega Millions jackpot, which now stands at $1 […] Read more »

WASHINGTON — Unhappy married couples considering divorce will have to face new considerations when the tax law goes into effect at the end of 2018. The alimony deduction, which has been in place for 76 years, will disappear, prompting new challenges in negotiating divorce terms. “It eliminates the deductibility when […] Read more »

January is not just the start of another year. It has another, sadder claim to fame: it’s the most popular month of the year for divorce. Many married couples considering divorce wait until after the holidays to file because they don’t want to ruin family holiday celebrations, experts say. Divorce […] Read more »