Divorce Advice for Men | Fathers Rights Divorce | Child Custody

By Jennifer M. Paine

Michigan Divorce Lawyer

Does your wife get half of your Social Security when you retire?

After all, she gets half of everything else you earned during your marriage, right? As I've explained in my articles on "The Truth To Common Divorce Rumors," everything really does not mean everything (not gifts, inheritances, passive appreciation, etc.), and this is particularly true for Social Security.

As a matter of federal law, your wife may receive Social Security based on your earnings, but not half of yours.

By Jennifer M. Paine

Michigan Divorce Lawyer

My previous divorce article ("Should I Stop Contributing To My Retirement Account Before Divorce?") addressed the pros and cons of contributing to your retirement account if a divorce is looming.

You need to be mindful of contributing too much, though. Do not pour every dollar into your retirement account in an effort to avoid paying alimony or child support.

The divorce court may, and often does, assume that you are upping the contributions to avoid a support obligation and will treat you as if you still have the dollars in your pocket.

By Jennifer M. Paine

Michigan Divorce Lawyer

Should I stop contributing to my retirement account since we’re getting divorced?

If this question has ever crossed your mind, don’t feel like you’re being sneaky. You’re not alone – nearly every guy who comes to a Cordell & Cordell office asks this question.

If your divorce court has not already issued an order restraining either spouse from changing retirement contributions, which many do at the outset of the case, then you do have options. If you are not yet divorcing, you have even more.

Here are three common, universal pros and cons to changing retirement contributions:

By Jennifer M. Paine

Michigan Divorce Lawyer

Oh, that pesky divorce waiting period. If you are like most guys, you want this divorce over NOW!

Every day is another dollar spent, another opportunity for your spouse to file a motion, another roadblock on your path to freedom.

Then you discover an even bigger roadblock – the mandatory divorce waiting period. What is a waiting period, and why should the government be allowed to tell you when you can and cannot get a divorce?

Here are the 5 common reasons for waiting periods in divorce:

Question:

How do paternity laws handle my unique situation? My ex-wife found out just days after our divorce was finalized that she was pregnant with another man's child, so the child was technically conceived while we were still married but it is not mine.

She has not had the baby yet and is scheduled to marry the biological father in a few months.

Do paternity laws address who is considered the father of this child since it was conceived while she was still married, but it is another man's child?