Dr. Judith Gerhart, CFP
Certified Divorce Financial Analyst 
Divorce
« Previous Articles Next Articles »Obstacles to a Friendly Divorce Settlement
Thursday, August 20th, 2009
One Party Wants a Divorce and the Other Party Doesn’t - When the announcement is made the party who did not know about the divorce is often very traumatized.
The Parties Make Decisions Differently - Even outside of the divorce arena you can see how people make decisions differently. Some people like to think about it, research [...]
Online Dating
Thursday, August 20th, 2009
Shortly after my divorce was final I was introduced to the world of online dating. This was back in 2000 when the idea of meeting and dating someone from a dating site was new and enticing.
Like everything else in life I soon learned that most of what I found on online dating sites was too [...]
Divorce and Finance
Wednesday, August 19th, 2009
There are many financial considerations to make in divorce settlements. Consider children’s tax exemptions, child tax credits, education tax credits, future retirement pensions, and life insurance benefits. Also, always remember to factor in the impact of future taxes on all assets.
Many parents negotiate the allocation and use of the personal exemptions for the children on [...]
Is That Divorce Worth the Cost to Your Health?
Wednesday, August 19th, 2009
A study scheduled to be published in the September issue of the Journal of Health and Social Behavior, analyzes data from nearly 9,000 adults nationwide, ages 51 to 61, and finds those who had been divorced or widowed suffered 20 percent more chronic health conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes or cancer, than individuals who [...]
Fight or Flight
Tuesday, August 18th, 2009
A marriage that isn’t working is dangerous. It profoundly threatens our happiness, our self-esteem and even our physical well being. Sometimes when things are rocky, enough love is present to put in the work and save the marriage. In other cases, a relationship has become far too toxic to try, or even want to make [...]
Celebrate Your Divorce
Monday, August 17th, 2009
Divorce is almost never easy.
There are very few cases, particularly when there are children involved, that spouses enter into the decision lightly to end the marriage.
The circumstances can vary, the contentions may vary, but no divorce decree can ever wipe out the memories of the marriage that is now over.
Through that emotional time, you’re also [...]
Things You Didn’t Know: Part 5
Monday, August 17th, 2009
Divorce is a product of the Protestant Reformation
The last thing you didn’t know about divorce is who to blame for making it all possible in the first place.
Prior to Martin Luther’s Protestant Reformation, Western society’s attitudes about marriage were guided strictly by Catholic marriage doctrine and its only out — an annulment. Reformers rejected that [...]
Things You Didn’t Know: Part 4
Sunday, August 16th, 2009
Divorces have been in decline everywhere but Utah
The 50% divorce rate among American couples is an oft-cited myth, but in fact, US divorces have been in a slow, steady decline since 1979. In the last few years, however, the people of Utah have seemed determined to buck that trend, as they are the only state [...]
Saturday, August 15th, 2009
Liberal divorce laws often follow political revolutions
Another thing you didn’t know about divorce is that it had a role in killing or overthrowing the likes of Louis XVI, George III and Tsar Nicholas II.
Divorce has a chummy relationship with radical politics and the revolutions they bring about, according to Canadian historian Roderick Phillips. In Putting [...]
Things You Didn’t Know: Part 2
Friday, August 14th, 2009
The average divorce costs over $50,000
The popular legal DIY site legalzoom.com tells potential customers that divorce “doesn’t have to be complicated or costly” and that their services can wrap up an uncontested divorce “in three simple steps,” all for $299.
What that fee does not cover (and doesn’t purport to cover) are all the hidden costs. [...]
