Hartford Divorce Law Blog

After a divorce, your living expenses are going to change. You suddenly have to cover all of the costs on your own. To some, this comes as a bit of a shock; if your partner handled the finances, this may be something you have not thought about in years.

One part of this equation may be alimony. Say you didn't work, and you even left your career so that you could raise a family or help your spouse pursue their career. If so, your spouse may need to pay you on a monthly basis to make up for the support you thought you would get before the divorce.

When the first summer after your divorce arrives, you suddenly realize that you have a problem. In the past, when the kids were out of school, you and your ex took turns watching them. Now that you are divorced, when you have custody, you still have to work during normal school hours.

You know that the obvious option is to put them in childcare when you can't be with them yourself. However, that's not free. Far from it. Childcare can often be incredibly expensive. You understand it -- you don't mind paying someone to take good care of your kids -- but you also know that it's a serious financial burden. Can you use child support funds to help offset that cost if your spouse has been ordered by the court to pay?

Post-divorce life is bound to be different for your children. No matter what your custody plan looks like, things are going to change. Relationships are going to shift. There's just no way around this.

The key is to focus on giving your child the attention and love they deserve, no matter how often you see them. One crucial way you can do this is to make sure that you always go to the events that they are involved in.

In the lead-up to your divorce, a family friend warns you that one of the more common ways that people try to hide assets is by putting them into offshore bank accounts. They then "forget" to disclose those assets, which don't show up on their traditional bank statements. The friend advises you to carefully look into all potential places where assets could be held so that you get your fair share.

However, you feel like it's not an issue in your marriage. An off-shore account sounds like something only an international traveler would really have. Your spouse has never left the United States. While you are fairly wealthy, you just don't think they fit that profile. Isn't it hard to start an offshore account?