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Recent Blog Posts
Heidi Klum, Seal- Divorce Heats Up
As soon as Seal remarked that he thought his soon-to-be ex-wife Heidi Klum, would have shown more class before she decided to "fornicate with the help," it became obvious that their divorce was about to take a very ugly turn.
The couple was already in the middle of what looked like a bitter custody battle for their four children, but the gloves are about to come off. RadarOnline reports that Seal is planning to use Heidi's relationship with bodyguard Martin Kristen as leverage to get a bigger settlement out of the divorce, and get more time with the children.
"Seal will make Heidi's life a misery now that she's confirmed she's together with Martin," a source explained to the website.
It appears that the singer's pride has been hurt by Heidi's admission she's been dating her bodyguard for three months, and according to the source, "Seal didn't expect her to find happiness with someone else before their divorce was officially finalized. It's a real blow to his ego and he now wants more money from her in the divorce settlement -- just because she's dating somebody before the paperwork is settled."
Baby Boomers and the Truth about Estate Planning
Estate planning for baby boomers is becoming increasingly important. The reality of the situation is that people are living longer yet they often don't continually update their wills, trusts and other important financial planning documents to reflect the changes they experience. Just as you would continue to see the doctor every year to make sure your body is in top health, make it a priority to visit your estate planning attorney every couple of years to keep up with changes in laws, taxes and other situations in life.
Most people experience changing priorities and changing friendships throughout their lives. When you are younger, you should have different goals than when you are advanced in age. If you have young kids, it is important to guard their futures with the proper estate planning concerning guardianships and trusts. When those kids have their own families, you may reconsider how you're planned your estate and eliminate protective devices you have detailed in your plan.
Chad Johnson Handling Divorce Filing by Wife in Classic "Ocho" Fashion
Dumped Dolphins wide receiver Chad Johnson can't seem to let go of his estranged wife — and proved it by tattooing her face on his right leg.
Johnson, formerly known as Chad Ochocinco, showed off his latest ink featuring Evelyn Lozada and the name "Eve" scrawled below it, TMZ.com reported last Tuesday.
Lozada, 36, filed for divorce last month — three days after she told police that Johnson allegedly became violent when she confronted him about a receipt for condoms.
The "Basketball Wives" reality star claims she suffered a 3-inch cut on her forehead when he allegedly headbutted her. Johnson, 34, was arrested for domestic violence. In the aftermath, the couple's VH1 reality show, "Eve and Ocho," was canned and Johnson was cut from the Miami Dolphins.
He tweeted a couple of comments Tuesday for followers curious about his tattoo and marital relationship. "Divorce? Child please... that's my WIFE," he tweeted from @ochocinco in response to someone inquiring about his tat. When another follower asked if Lozada filed for divorce, Johnson tweeted, "I dont give a flying pretzel in skittle rainbow hell what she filed for."
Myth: Only the Rich Need Wills
According to a report recently done by Consumer Reports, over 55% of the United States population does not have a will. Most people polled believe that wills are for those who are very wealthy. That could not be further from the truth. Everyone over the age of 18 needs to have a will and think about doing some estate planning.
There are three major considerations when thinking about estate planning. If you have property, it needs to be allocated to someone. If you have any money, that needs to be allocated as well. Also, if you have young children, have you thought about who you would want to take care of them if you were to pass away before they become of age?
Having minor children is perhaps one of the best reasons to have a will. There have been many horror stories about people fighting over the custody of children who have recently lost a parent so that they can take financial control of the child. If you have a will, you will be able to name a chosen guardian instead of having a court make that important and final decision for you.
Illinois Divorce Rates Fairly Low, Young Americans Optimistic
A recent study shows that young Americans are incredibly optimistic about their marriage lasting for a lifetime. Divorcemag.com did a story about the study, saying that 86 percent of Americans between ages 18 and 29 who were surveyed by the Clark University Poll of Emerging Adults expect their marriage to last. According to an NBC Chicago story, statistics from a few years back show that Illinois has a lower divorce rate than most states, but it is not low enough for that 86 percent to be right.
Jeffrey Jensen Arnett, a psychology professor who led the study, said that young people grow up hearing that half of marriages end in divorce, but most of them still expect to be in the half that does not get divorced. The study also suggested that children who have witnessed a divorce are more driven to make a marriage last. A surprising discovery in the study was that both men and women are expecting to make compromises regarding their career goals for family, whereas it has traditionally been the women who have had to make that sacrifice.
Sherman Hemsley's Will Contested
According to The Chicago Tribune, although Sherman Hemsley passed away on July 24, to this date he still has not been buried. His body is reportedly being held in a cold storage unit in an El Paso funeral home while his will is being fought over.
The Associate Press reports that Hemsley executed a new will just six weeks before he lost his battle with lung cancer that named Flora Enchinton as his "beloved partner" and the sole beneficiary of his estate. Enchinton also claims that she has been his manager for well over the last two decades.
The validity of his will is being contested by a Philadelphia man named Richard Thornton who claims to be the brother of the late Hemsley. He states that his alleged brother did not write this will.
Enchinton has expressed her confusion and concern over this claim stating that Hemsley had never mentioned having relatives.
Basics Of Child Support In Illinois
Child support issues are often one of the aspects in divorce where parents disagree. To establish a child support order in Illinois, the amount of child support required by the child support order depends on the non-custodial parent's net income and the number of children they will be supporting.
Here is a chart that represents the minimum amount of child support that the parent may be ordered to pay according to the Illinois Statutory Guidelines (750 ILCS 5/505 Sec. 505).
| Number of Children | Percent of Non-Custodial Parent's Net Income |
| 1 | 20% |
| 2 | 28% |
| 3 | 32% |
| 4 | 40% |
| 5 | 45% |
| 6 or more | 50% |
The guidelines in the chart are automatically applied in every case unless the court decides that the amount determined by these guidelines would be inadequate after considering the best interests of the child. Reasons for such a decision may include factors like the financial resources and needs of the children, the financial resources and needs of the custodial parents, and the standard of living the children would have enjoyed if the marriage had not ended. Children's educational needs and the financial resources of the non-custodial parent are also among the factors that are considered. When calculating the net income, taxes and union dues, among some other factors, are deducted.
The Divorce Rate Really Is Fifty Percent
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, there were 2,077,000 marriages that took place in the United States in 2009, which makes the marriage rate 6.8 per 1,000 of the total population. The divorce rate for 2009 was 3.4 per 1,000 of the population - one million divorces per year. So it really is a pretty close estimation when someone states that half of all marriages end in divorce.
Divorcerate.org tracks divorce statistics for the U.S., as well as several other largely populated countries, including Australia and Japan. In the U.S., there is a higher percentage of divorce for both men and women who got married between the ages of 20 to 24 years old than any other age group. The lowest rate of divorce was for men and women who married between the ages of 35 to 39 years old.
Side-effects Of Disinheriting A Relative
The Trust Advisor published a story about disinheriting relatives, the reasons behind it, and the effects it may have on the relatives who are left behind by the deceased. The choice of disinheriting a relative in your will may be backed by many different reasons. Maybe the relative is a degenerate gambler, an addict, or maybe they hurt the deceased in some way before he drafted his will.
The story talked about Nigel Ruddy, who was always careful with his money, unlike his son. Ruddy tried to teach his son to use money more wisely, but the son did not really listen. Ruddy married a Persian woman, and the two did not have any problems before Ruddy passed away. Yet, Ruddy left the majority of his property to his son, only leaving his wife with 12,000 dollars and a permission to stay in their house until she dies. The reasons the deceased had for disinheriting someone are not always clear to others.
Springfield Presbyterian Church to Hold Divorce Recovery Program
During a divorce you may find you have mixed emotions about your ex-spouse. While you may know that the divorce was for the best, you may find that some days you strongly dislike your former spouse, and, surprisingly, other days you miss him/her. You may wonder why you feel any fondness for someone you are divorcing. It is perfectly normal, and most divorcing people report these mixed emotions. So how do you cope with these changing emotions?
For those struggling with the devastation of separation and divorce, a new support program will be launched in Springfield by Crossroads Counseling Center at Chatham Presbyterian Church beginning Thursday, Sept. 6.
Participants are welcome to attend an informal coffee reception at 6 p.m. prior to the beginning of the group program at 6:30 p.m. After the first meeting, the 9-week program, "Divorce Recovery: A Time for Healing," will meet at Chatham Presbyterian Church, 1835 E. Walnut St. at 6:30 p.m. Thursday evenings.
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