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Divorce Mediation Blog Posts

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Gray Divorce: Special Considerations for Couples Divorcing After Age 50

Gray Divorce: Special Considerations for Couples Divorcing After Age 50   Divorce is never simple, but divorcing after age 50 brings a unique set of financial and practical challenges that...

Gray Divorce: What the Research Says About Divorce After 50

Gray Divorce: What the Research Says About Divorce After 50 If you or someone you know is contemplating divorce later in life, you are far from alone. Researchers have identified a striking...

What to Expect at Your 1A Uncontested Divorce Hearing in Massachusetts

What to Expect at Your 1A Uncontested Divorce  Hearing in Massachusetts: A Practical Guide If you and your spouse have agreed on all the terms of your divorce and filed a Joint Petition for Divorce...

Understanding Separate Support in Massachusetts

Understanding Separate Support in Massachusetts Introduction If you’re a married person in Massachusetts considering your options for living apart from your spouse without getting a divorce, you...

Present Value of Social Security SURVIVOR Benefits

How to Calculate the Present Value of Social Security Survivor Benefits in Divorce When dividing assets in divorce, most couples focus on tangible property: the house, retirement accounts, savings...

Divorce Mediation for Divorcing a Narcissist

Does Divorce Mediation Work for Divorcing a Narcissist? When facing divorce from a partner you believe to be a narcissist, you may wonder whether mediation—a collaborative approach to divorce...

Is Divorce Mediation Better For Children? What the Research Says

Is Divorce Mediation Better (Than Litigation) For Children?: What the Research Says When parents decide to end their marriage, one of their greatest concerns is how the divorce will affect their...

Is Divorce Mediation Fair to Men?

Is Divorce Mediation Fair to Men? For decades, discussions about gender and divorce mediation have focused on whether the process is fair to women. Far less attention has been paid to men—even though...

Choosing between Massachusetts and Florida for an Uncontested Divorce

Choosing Between Massachusetts and Florida for an Uncontested Divorce When spouses have connections to both Massachusetts and Florida — for example, one partner retains a Massachusetts address or the...

A History of Divorce Mediation in the United States

A History of Divorce Mediation in the United States Divorce mediation emerged in the United States most immediately with the adoption of “no-fault” divorce across the country, starting with California...

Social Security and Divorce: Spousal Benefits

Social Security and Divorce: Spousal Benefits   If you were married for 10 or more years, you may be eligible to claim retirement benefits that are calculated based on your ex-spouse’s work...

Is Divorce Mediation Fair to Women

Is Divorce Mediation Fair to Women? Gender, Power, and the Role of the Mediator   Since no-fault divorce laws were established across the US in the 1970’s and 1980s, divorce mediation has become...

Facilitative, Evaluative, and Transformational are FUNCTIONS, not TYPES of Divorce Mediation

Facilitative, Evaluative, and Transformational are Functions, not Types, of Divorce Mediation   Divorce mediation websites often discuss mediation as if there were three distinct types of...

Massachusetts Pension Participants Can Now Collect Higher Social Security Benefits

January 1, 2025 Congress just repealed the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO) which limited Social Security benefits for individuals and their spouses if one...

Massachusetts Separation Agreement Sample Template

Free Sample Massachusetts Separation Agreement Template .pdf In September 2024, the Massachusetts State Probate Court finally released a Massachusetts Separation Agreement Form Sample as a free .pdf...

The Value of Future Social Security Benefits in the Division of Marital Assets

The Value of Future Social Security Benefits in the Division of Marital Assets   For many divorcing couples, future social security benefits are their single greatest economic asset and the key...

How to Calculate the Present Value of your Social Security for Divorce

This post explains how to calculate the present value of future Social Security benefits. This is important for divorcing couples, because it gives them a concrete, present value for these future...

Can a Divorce Mediator Give Legal Advice?

Can a Divorce Mediator Give Legal Advice?   No! Yes! “Can a divorce mediator give legal advice” is a trick question because “legal advice” has two entirely different meanings. This...

How to Choose a Divorce Mediator in Massachusetts

How to Choose a Divorce Mediator in Massachusetts   Your goal is to choose a divorce attorney mediator who excels at the three things a mediator does: The mediator manages interpersonal relations...

Pros and Cons of Divorce Mediation in Massachusetts

Pros and Cons of Divorce Mediation in Massachusetts Many blog posts by divorce mediators list the benefits of divorce mediation, but this page also lists the most important cons. The single biggest...

Combined alimony and child support orders and after-tax income in Massachusetts divorce

Combined alimony and child support orders and after-tax income in Massachusetts divorce   The purpose of this blog post is to illustrate a series of alimony, child support, and after-tax income...

Divorce Mediation Checklist

Divorce mediation checklist: How to Prepare for Divorce Mediation   1) The first checklist item for preparing for divorce mediation is: Relax     By choosing divorce mediation instead...

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