Financial Reasons for Choosing Legal Separation Over Divorce

An overview of financial reasons for choosing legal separation over divorce in Indiana.

2012-03-01

March 01, 2012 (Press-News.org) Financial Reasons for Choosing Legal Separation Over Divorce

Sometimes when people are struggling in their marriages, they choose a legal separation rather than divorce. People may separate for a variety of reasons, such as being unsure about whether they actually want to divorce or simply feeling they need some time away from their spouses to work out problems. Financial considerations often play a key role in people's choice of legal separation rather than divorce.

Legal Separation in Indiana

Indiana law allows married couples to legally separate for up to one year after a legal separation order is entered. A separation does not end the marriage, but a court may issue a separation order concerning things such as payment of debts, support of children and property division. After the one-year term, the parties must decide whether to reconcile, pursue divorce, or sometimes, may choose to obtain another one-year legal separation. If the parties decide to divorce before the year is over, the separation ends and the divorce case begins.

Health Insurance

Health insurance is a major concern for many people, and they may want to remain on a spouse's health insurance plan even though they do not want to stay with the spouse. Some may not be able to afford health insurance on their own, or they may have pre-existing conditions that would prevent them from obtaining insurance easily.

Depending on the health insurance plan, a legal separation may not terminate a spouse's coverage in the same manner that divorce does.

Tax Implications

Remaining married may offer tax benefits. Some save more money filing joint tax returns than they would filing singly. The IRS follows state law in determining people's marital status and it is important consult with tax professionals to determine whether they would still be eligible to file jointly during a legal separation.

Retirement Benefits

Legal separation may preserve eligibility for certain retirement benefits. In many cases, divorced people are eligible to collect Social Security benefits on their spouses' earning record as long as the marriage lasted 10 years or more and they do not remarry. Some choose to legally separate before divorce in an effort to preserve this option, although it is important to investigate each individual's specific circumstances to ensure that this option is available.

Military Benefits

Typically, military pension benefits also have a 10 year marriage requirement for former spouses to be able to collect, and a 20 year marriage requirement to maintain PX and Commissary shopping privileges after divorce. Legal separation can be a way to help ensure that people do not lose access to these benefits, although again, it is important to investigate each individual's specific circumstances to ensure that these options are available.

Consult an Attorney

The decision to divorce or separate is never an easy one. People need to consider all of the ramifications when making their decision and the assistance of an experienced attorney often helps people understand all of their options.

Article provided by The Law Office of Julie R. Glade, RN, JD
Visit us at http://www.julieglade.com/

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Good, Bad and Ugly Changes in North Carolina's Workers' Compensation Law

2012-03-01

Good, Bad and Ugly Changes in North Carolina's Workers' Compensation Law On June 24, 2011, changes to workers' compensation law in the state of North Carolina went into effect. If you've suffered a work-related accident, repetitive motion injury or occupational disease, these changes are likely to affect you and your family. The Good: Death Benefit Increases A good and long overdue change for injured workers is in the area of death benefits. Dependents of an employee who dies as a result of a compensable injury or occupational disease will now receive $10,000 -- ...

Florida Lawmakers Attempting to Update Alimony Law

2012-03-01

Florida Lawmakers Attempting to Update Alimony Law Divorce attorneys, legislators and members of the public use many adjectives to describe Florida alimony law. It is common, however, to hear detractors use words like outdated, outmoded, draconian and archaic. The same alimony laws have been in place since the days before divorce became so commonplace, back when a much higher percentage of women stayed at home rather than pursue a career. This could soon change, since the Florida legislature is considering proposals to reform the state's alimony law. Bills in the ...

Maryland Aiming to Increase Child-Support Collections

2012-03-01

Maryland Aiming to Increase Child-Support Collections In December of 2011, Maryland's Department of Human Services announced that, as part of the state's push to reform social-service departments across the state, the DHS would focus on improving child-support collection through the Child Support Enforcement Administration. The secretary of Maryland's DHS, Ted Dallas, noted that Maryland has the highest per-capita income of any state in the U.S. and asserted that there is no reason that the state should not also lead the country in child-support collection. State officials ...

Cosmetic Talc: Safe or Dangerous for Consumers?

2012-03-01

Cosmetic Talc: Safe or Dangerous for Consumers? Talc is a mineral used in a variety of consumer products from women's cosmetics to drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It is used as an absorbent, an anti-caking agent, to improve the texture of products and to add color. The talc used in cosmetics and other consumer products is approved for ingested and topical drugs by the FDA and must meet standards developed by the cosmetics industry and U.S. Pharmacopeia, a non-profit organization that tests a variety of topical and ingested consumer products. ...

California Work-Related Injuries and Workers' Compensation

2012-03-01

California Work-Related Injuries and Workers' Compensation From computer keyboards to heavy machinery, your workplace can be a dangerous place. Injuries caused by the latter are typical -- such as crane accidents or getting hurt in a motor vehicle accident while making deliveries -- but you can also get hurt through repetitive motion of the wrist, hand or fingers while typing. When this type of injury occurs, workers' compensation can help you recover both financially and in health. Workers' Compensation Benefits In California, employers are required to carry workers' ...

Workplace Stress Can Lead to Mental Illness, Physical Injuries

2012-03-01

Workplace Stress Can Lead to Mental Illness, Physical Injuries For those employed in the construction industry, the idea of a work-related injury likely brings to mind heavy-equipment accidents or falls from great heights. Employees who work in offices or cubicles might think of ergonomics and aches and pains from improper posture or repetitive motions. Workers' compensation covers both types of injuries. Work-Related Injuries In addition to these common sources of injuries, another set of health issues can arise in the employment context; stress-related injuries ...

Manufacturer, Dealership Not Liable for Motorcycle Accident, Jury Finds

2012-03-01

Manufacturer, Dealership Not Liable for Motorcycle Accident, Jury Finds A man and woman riding their Harley-Davidson Road Glide touring bike come upon heavy highway traffic. From the driver's seat, the man brakes, locking the rear wheel of the motorcycle; he mistakenly thinks he has anti-lock brakes. The woman is thrown off onto the road, suffering a traumatic brain injury. Who is to blame? Defective Design? "No," Jury Says According to a Sacramento Superior Court jury verdict, Harley-Davidson was not at fault. After a trial, the jury concluded that the ...

Suing for a Dangerous Product: Understanding Product Liability Cases

2012-03-01

Suing for a Dangerous Product: Understanding Product Liability Cases As a matter of public policy, laws declare that products available to the public must be free of dangerous defects. Consumers injured by a defective product may be able to obtain money damages for their physical injuries and property damage. This type of case is called "product liability," and certain aspects of this law differ from other personal injury cases. What "Defective" Means in Product Liability Many types of products could be designated as dangerous. However, the ...

Bayer CropScience Continues Innovation Initiatives to Expand Research Footprint in North Carolina

2012-03-01

Innovation continues to be a foundation for Bayer CropScience, positioning the company at the forefront of research into new science and technology. A new $20 million state-of-the-art greenhouse plus other advances in research facilities will help Bayer continue to explore new opportunities to improve crop production efficiencies. The new 60,000 sq. ft. greenhouse, which broke ground in May 2011 and will be occupied beginning Summer 2012, will house teams conducting GM and non-GM trait research, as well as supporting discovery research for molecular breeding and data ...

Boot Camp Digital Presents Cincinnati Social Media Workshop - Using Pinterest for Your Business

2012-03-01

Boot Camp Digital (http://bootcampdigital.com/ ), a market leader of custom social media training programs, is excited to announce a new Social Media Lunch Session on March 6th, 2012 from 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM on Pinterest, one of the newest and quickest growing social networks. This lunch session will cover how businesses can use one of the fastest growing websites in social media marketing: Pinterest. Pinterest now has over 10 million users and has grown faster than any other independent website in history. This training session will help businesses understand Pinterest ...

Financial Reasons for Choosing Legal Separation Over Divorce

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES: