Author Archives: Jay Butchko
How Much Do You Have to Downgrade Your Lifestyle While Your Divorce Case Is Pending?
Temporary alimony, also known as pendente lite alimony, is the most common type of spousal support awarded in Florida divorce cases. To the relief of spouses who pay alimony, a pendente lite alimony order automatically terminates when the divorce becomes final; after that, the court may or may not replace it with another alimony… Read More »
What Happens to Child Support Obligations When Stepparents Enter the Picture?
To an optimist, remarriage means a feeling of resolution, a new normal. Now, instead of being a broken family, your children are part of a blended family. You imagine the future, when your child introduces both sets of his or her parents at his or her wedding. The axiom that every family is unique… Read More »
What Happens When You Divorce the Same Person Twice?
Off again on-again couples make for interesting television plots, but if you are old enough that the financial investment in a relationship exceeds the cost of a pair of movie tickets to take your sometimes sweetheart out on a date, then getting back together with your ex can be as complicated as breaking up. … Read More »
3 Unexpected Ways That Divorce Wrecks Your Finances
Recently divorced people in every income bracket feel the financial stress of divorce. It isn’t just about your ex taking half of the marital property, or whatever share of the marital property you or the court decides is fair; divorce is rough on your finances even if you and your spouse kept your finances… Read More »
Can Divorce Be Good for Your Finances?
Financial stress is nearly universal in our society, but almost everyone who struggled with debts during their marriage finds that their financial problems get worse after they divorce, at least temporarily. Divorce is a major life change; think about how much money you spent on your wedding and how much you spent on baby… Read More »
New Florida Law Facilitates Safe Exchange of Children in Volatile Co-Parenting Situations
It takes time to settle into a routine after divorce, where your children are with you some of the time and with your ex-spouse the rest of the time. Within a few months, you get used to enjoying the time you have with your children and then spending your ex’s parenting time being productive… Read More »
What to Do With Your Second House During Divorce
The most conflict-ridden property issues in divorce cases usually relate to housing. Whether you rent your house or own it, it takes up a large portion of your budget and a large portion of your mental energy. Home is where you relax; in good times, couples bond over household tasks, and in bad times… Read More »
Conflicts of Interest in Florida Divorce Cases
When you get divorced, you must learn entirely new ways of interacting with the world, especially when it comes to concealing and revealing information. Married couples are each other’s closest confidants, and the confidences they share about money, work, and relationships with extended family members are none of anyone else’s business. When you file… Read More »
Withdrawing a Divorce Petition
When a process server hands you a copy of the divorce petition that your spouse filed, it is easy to feel like you have a lifetime of poverty, loneliness, and regrets ahead of you. There will eventually be a new normal, but it is a long way away. Can divorce have a happy ending? … Read More »
New Florida Law Adds Details to the Meaning of “Equitable Distribution”
There is nothing unusual about Florida’s status as an equitable distribution state; more than three quarters of U.S. states follow the equitable distribution rule in divorce cases. Equitable distribution means that, if the case goes to trial because the parties are unable to reach a property settlement agreement during mediation, the judge must divide… Read More »
