St. Louis Divorce & Family Law Blog by Stange Law Firm, PC

On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in Family Law on Thursday, July 18, 2019. When Missouri couples are planning their wedding celebrations, they usually don’t think about divorce. However, paying for the occasion and going into debt over it can result in couples considering ending their marriages. According to a study by LendingTree, going into debt over wedding expenses can have a significant impact on what happens after the wedding between the newlyweds. The study was conducted online by Qualtrics for LendingTree and surveyed 506 people ages 18 to 53 who had gotten married in the last two

On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in Family Law on Friday, July 5, 2019. Couples in Missouri who are considering divorce may be more likely to file in August or March. A study by University of Washington researchers that was presented at the American Sociological Association examined filings in the state from 2001 to 2015 and identified the pattern. Some divorce attorneys also say there are increases in January. Whatever the time of year, people who are considering divorce may want to take several factors into account. First, they should think about what going through a divorce will

On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in Family Law on Wednesday, June 19, 2019. Child support issues can be contentious for divorced parents in Missouri and nationwide. A study conducted by Custody X Change, a smartphone app that aims to help parents manage child custody and visitation schedules, reveals that support payments can vary widely depending on the state in which the parents live. The potential recalculation of child support may be a significant factor if parents are thinking about relocating. While national statistics can vary widely, Missouri’s average payments are in the second-lowest of four tiers. There

On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in Family Law on Monday, June 3, 2019. For business owners in Missouri, divorce can come with unique concerns and issues. This is especially true on the financial level, where changes that emerge from divorce can have long-term effects that remain after the emotional and practical issues have been settled. Because business owners often combine their income and their assets and both spouses may be involved in the company, divorce presents a different challenge. However, entrepreneurs can take steps to help protect their companies and emerge successfully from the process. In many

On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in Family Law on Friday, May 24, 2019. Divorce in Chicago is a difficult process, but it can be more complicated when it is a high asset divorce and involves two prominent people. Regardless of the financial circumstances and if the case is a topic in the media, it is always important for the spouses to have legal assistance with their case. A recent divorce filing between a professional baseball player and his professional singer wife is an example of the complex nature of these situations. Chicago Cubs player Ben Zobrist and

On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in Family Law on Thursday, May 9, 2019. Parents in Missouri and elsewhere who benefit from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, may need to enter a child support agreement to obtain benefits. This was according to a recent U.S. Department of Agriculture memo encouraging state leaders to enforce such a rule. There are roughly 40 million Americans who participate in the program, and many of them are children who live in homes with a single parent. Often, these children live in poverty because noncustodial parents don’t pay child support. By

On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in Family Law on Wednesday, April 24, 2019. Families in Missouri with a stay-at-home mother may have unique concerns during a divorce. Approximately 25 percent of American mothers raise children at home, compared to 7 percent of American fathers. These include around 10 percent of mothers with a master’s degree or more who have left the workplace in order to raise their children. In general, becoming a stay-at-home mother is a family decision that both parents feel is better for their child. The support of a spouse at home can help the

On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in Family Law on Wednesday, April 10, 2019. When Missouri parents decide to divorce, many fathers may worry about losing their relationship with their children afterwards. However, an increasing number of family courts favor shared parenting and joint physical custody as a way to protect the kids’ relationship with both parents. While in the past, courts tended to give physical custody to the mothers, this has changed dramatically in the past 30 years. Child development experts and family courts understand that the involvement of both parents can be particularly important for healthy

On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in Family Law on Monday, March 11, 2019. Some divorced parents in Missouri who do not discuss which one of them will claim the child as a dependent on their taxes may end up in conflict. The IRS accepts the dependent child on the return of the parent who files first and rejects the other. In a dispute, the agency applies several criteria to determine who is eligible. Parents take precedence over anyone else in claiming the child. The parent with whom the child lives most of the time is supposed to

On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in Family Law on Thursday, January 31, 2019. A noncustodial parent in Missouri may be required to pay child support to the custodial parent. Generally, the child spends most of their time living with the custodial parent. This is referred to as physical custody. Legal custody, which pertains to making decisions about the child’s education, schooling and other important matters, is separate and may be shared when physical custody is not. Child support is calculated based on several factors, including income and standards of living. It is intended to cover basic expenses,

On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in Family Law on Tuesday, January 15, 2019. For Missouri couples about to get married, a prenuptial agreement can be a powerful tool. However, it can be used as a financial planning tool as much as to account for what happens in the event of a divorce. Such an agreement can be helpful for any couple regardless of how old each party is or how much wealth they may have. In addition to determining how to split assets, it can also determine how to account for debt either person brings into the

On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in Family Law on Friday, January 4, 2019. Entertainers in Missouri and all over the country aren’t alone in experiencing marital stresses and strains that can lead to the end of a marriage. Case in point: Usher and his estranged wife. The singer, songwriter and actor is divorcing from his wife several months after the couple announced their separation. After six years of dating, Usher married the woman who had previously worked as his manager in 2015. The singer dealt with previous family law matters of this nature when he divorced his