divorce

'Do We Need a Prenup?' Why You Really Should Discuss It

To many couples, following a romantic marriage proposal with a pragmatic discussion about a prenuptial agreement feels like you're predicting a divorce. But the conversation can have real benefits for the health of your union and your finances.

Lies and Debt Situations: When Couples Keep Money Secrets

Financial counselors aren't marriage counselors, but when it comes to couples' spats over hidden debt and secret spending, they're often helping people deal with some heavy emotional baggage along with the hefty credit card bills.

10 Things You Must Know About Social Security

Many Americans will make Social Security the bedrock of their retirement plan, but there's more to the benefit than having a birthday and signing up to get your checks. Here are 10 essentials you need to know to get all the money you're entitled to out of the Social Security system.

No Man, More Money: Five Women Who Thrived After Divorce

Recent female divorcees are twice as likely to live at or below the poverty line as their male counterparts, a Spectrem Group study reports. But there are plenty of people who refuse to be bound by such stereotypes: These five women learned to whistle a far different -- and richer -- tune after their marriages ended.

Don't Let Divorce Destroy You at Tax Time

Divorce is one of the hardest things you may ever go through. But while you're focused on your now-adversarial relationship with your ex, you shouldn't forget to keep an eye on another entity that may be after a larger chunk of your assets thanks to your split: The IRS.

How to Get Your Ex to Help Fund Your Retirement

If you're divorced, your ex-husband or ex-wife might still be able to help you feather your nest in retirement. And there's at least one former-spouse benefit you won't need to go to court to get access to: payments based on their Social Security earnings record.

Readers' Tips for Financial Revival, Part 1: Smart Saving

A few weeks ago, we asked DailyFinance readers for their best tips for putting your financial house in order. Many were quick to note that the foundation of financial security lies in being ready when disaster hits. Here are some of their best suggestions for planning for those rainy days.

Don't Skimp on Your Divorce: Lesson from a N.Y. Bigamist

Of all the regrets commonly expressed by the recently divorced, "I'm sorry I didn't pay my lawyer more money" is probably last on the list. But for one New York woman, the decision to go cheap on the legal fees led to a nasty surprise as she found herself with two husbands.

Got Hitched Too Fast? Say 'I Do' to a DIY Divorce

You wed on a whim, on a bender, or whatever it was that compelled you to commit to love, honor and cherish. Now you want it over. Sound familiar? It may not work for Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries, but if your union has gone from honeymoon directly to horror in a hurry, there's a fast easy way to end a marriage on the cheap.

Is It Smart to Tap Retirement Funds to Buy a Home?

A 53-year-old woman got divorced in May, and now, she wants to relocate to a new city and buy a little bungalow for herself and her 100-pound dog. But with her low income, she's wondering whether her best bet to get that home is deplete her retirement savings and buy it with cash. Our experts weigh in.

Celebrity Marriages: They Should Have Gotten the Prenup

"To leave hundreds of millions of dollars vulnerable does not seem like a wise choice," says one matrimonial lawyer. Still, many of the rich and famous keep heading down the aisle without a prenup. It's a choice some eventually live to regret.

Divorced Mom: How Do I Rebound Financially?

Splitting up makes a mess of your finances, as Lynn, a nurse living in Florida knows all too well. Her 2008 divorce from her husband of 28 years left her in debt, with bad credit, and with limited financial skills. She's already begun to dig out, but she needs a better plan.

Retiring Solo: Singles Aren't Saving Enough

Most married people look forward to enjoying their golden years together -- at least in theory. But sometimes, reality is more bleak. For a host of reasons, millions of us may enter retirement on our own, and a large fraction of divorced, never-married, and widowed Americans aren't doing enough to prepare for it.

IRS Cuts 'Innocent Spouses' Some Slack

When people play fast and loose with their taxes, they often leave their spouses -- and ex-spouses -- in the dark. Until now, those innocent wives and husbands had only two years to file for relief, even if they didn't know about the problem until it was too late. Now, the IRS is eliminating the deadline.

'Wall Street Wives' Gets Down to Business with Auditions

Devon Fleming's casting call for her planned reality TV series, Wall Street Wives, attracted the media attention that producers relish, and hundreds of women responded. She allowed The Price of Fame to attend a recent audition, where we got a glimpse of the sort of drama the show might deliver.

Can Your Financial 'Plan B' Withstand the Unexpected?

Having a plan in case of a major life crisis is important and, according to State Farm's Financial Plan B survey, 81% of us know it. But only 45% of those surveyed said they've actually planned ahead for that crisis. If you have a plan, it may not be a solid as you think. And if you don't, here's how to begin creating one.

'Divorce Starts': A Leading Indicator for Home Sales?

While not everyone whose marriage ends rushes out to break ground on a new home, some real estate agents say divorcing spouses make up at least a third of their clients. With the economy impacting divorce trends and marital splits pushing spending trends, should economists be watching divorce rates when they chart the economic outlook?

My Three Cents: Family Finances, Divorce, Depression

In DailyFinance's new video series, My Three Cents, personal finance columnist Regina Lewis discusses tips and trends affecting today's consumer market. This week's focus: family finances, divorce and depression.