Pennsylvania Family Law Blog

Going through a divorce, Pennsylvania residents may just want to survive the process and get through it to the other side. The paperwork, evaluations, documentations, discussions and disputes can seem never-ending, and when one is not going through an amicable one, it can be emotionally taxing as well. As a result, people may end up agreeing to terms that are not in their best interest in the long run, just to speed up the process.

However, getting through a divorce is not just about going through the motions. It is important to understand how almost every decision made can have a long-term effect on one's life. For example, neglecting to talk about who will pay for the children's college or who is going to pay back the credit card bill, can have serious financial repercussions that may prevent someone from achieving financial independence.

In Pennsylvania, as in the rest of the country, family structures are changing. While many may follow a traditional route and get married, many couples have children without entering into matrimony with one another.

It is important to understand how the legal parenting relationship changes depending on one's marital relationship with the biological mother of one's child.

Many divorcing couples do not realize that maintaining two separate households after a divorce is very costly. In many instances, the same family income is now being divided to run two residences and pay the bills associated with them. In addition to this, one spouse is inevitably paying spousal and child support, straining finances even more. Thus, it is important to approach divorce proceedings with a clear head and accurate picture of one's finances.

Developing a post divorce budget can be helpful in these situations. Pennsylvania residents should take some time to know what their monthly expenses will look like. This is an even more important step for those individuals who have never dealt with bills or managed the household budget alone because their spouse has been in charge of it so far. Figuring out what one's immediate needs are, how much they will cost in the short-run and the long-run is beneficial and could include a new car, a new place to live, insurance and everyday items such as groceries and gas.

Pennsylvania residents might remember reading a recent post highlighting the differences between millennial couples and those of previous generations. For example, millennials are getting married later and pulling down the divorce rate. It was also mentioned how they are trying to be prudent about their financial choices, opting to live with their significant other before tying the knot in an attempt to drive down living costs. Another way in which millennials are different from their older counterparts is their approach to bank accounts after marriage.

According to one survey, 28% of millennials are opting to keep their bank accounts separate from their spouses and forgoing the traditional joint bank accounts. This is more than double the amount of baby boomers and Gen X couples that keep their accounts separate. One of the reasons for this is because it has become easier to split money through applications that allow one to pay someone immediately.