Times Online reports on more fallout from the Paul McCartney-Heather Mills divorce: a call by senior High Court family judge Justice Coleridge for collaborative divorce. [The Telegraph also covered the story.] Frances Gibb writes (excerpt): Under the new process, the…
Shut up! Shut up! Your marriage improves when actions speak louder than words
CNN and Oprah.com suggest we focus on connecting nonverbally with compassion for each other and with touch, sex, doing things together, and sharing moments together. Barbara Graham writes (excerpt): “It’s the connection, stupid!” exclaims Love, quickly adding that it’s not…
Finding happiness in your marriage: You do the math!
The Telegraph quantifies the secret to a happy marriage: 4 hugs a day 7 evenings in together each month 2 dinner dates a month 2 romantic walks a month 1 visit to a pub or cinema without children or friends…
Money can’t buy me love?: Money matters to your marriage
The New York Times your smartest financial decision is marrying someone who shares your attitudes about money. Tara Siegel Bernard writes (excerpt): “A lot of the debates people have about money are code for how we want to live our…
New rules for falling in love with your spouse: Start getting a better marriage today
Good Housekeeping replaces old marriage myths with “new rules.” Sarah Mahoney notes 5 new rules (excerpt): Sleep on it. Conflicts are best dealt with when you have calmed down and are well rested. A marriage doesn’t run on feelings —…
Save your marriage: Recommit to shared decision making, soft words, lots of listening, and calm emotions
The ABC News Medical Unit shows Madonna and Guy Ritchie leading the way–renewing their vows in an attempt to mend a broken marriage. Dan Childs writes (excerpt): Heitler says that in terms of the success rate she has seen for…
Sex, drinking and friendships: Mixed men messages
USA Today maps out the “rough road to manhood.” Sharon Jayson writes (excerpt): “Guys know they’re supposed to treat women as equals,” says Andrew Smiler . . . . “But we haven’t changed masculinity and we haven’t taught boys and…
My life, my spouse’s fault?: keys to a successful marriage
The Christian Science Monitor shows how putting your marriage first helps the whole family. David Code explains the three keys to a successful marriage and family (excerpt): 1) Recognize that we’ve already chosen the perfect spouse. . . . 2)…
Divorce Grand Rapids
The Sarnacki Law Firm is respected for its honest advice, creative solutions and effective advocacy. The two key components for the firm’s success are: * Legal Ability: our expertise, the nature of our practice and our specialized qualifications. * Standards…
Negotiation strategies, attitude and gestures: tips on persuasion so you get what you what
MSNBC and Prevention Magazine summarize simple principles of persuasion and negotiation, and they further discuss examples for putting them into practice. Kalee Thompson writes (excerpt): 1. Speak confidently Get directly to the point, but make sure you aren’t domineering. .…
Achieving Effective Resolution in Divorce without Litigation, by Pauline H. Tesler
At Grand Rapids Collaborative Divorce I posted an excerpt from Pauline Tesler–via the ABA–highlighting the movement away from litigation toward Collaborative Law. In it, Pauline Tesler notes that switching to a collaborative law practice is: Challenging since it”involves mastering knowledge…
Technique tips for making a speech or presentation
Business Week shows us ways to improve our presentations by following the lead of politicians and successful ad campaigns. Carmine Gallo writes (excerpt): [Anaphora.] Repeating a phrase at the beginning or end of successive sentences is a powerful rhetorical technique…
Taxing child support recipients: Federal law leads to Michigan withholding $25
The Grand Rapids Press explains why custodial parents in Michigan will be paying the federal government $25 per year from the child support they receive. Kyla King writes (excerpt): “The Michigan legislators determined that it would be handled in this…
Trial v. settlement: How often is a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush?
The New York Times reminds us that trial is inherently uncertain, a gamble that often does not payoff. The study to be published in September’s Journal of Empirical Legal Studies showed that 61 percent of plaintiffs who rejected settlement offers…
Should I stay or should I go now: leaving my cheating partner or saving my marriage
CNN and LifeWire use the John Edwards confession-Elizabeth Edwards acceptance to look at what to do when your spouse has an affair or your spouse is in love with someone else and how to know whether to and how to…
COBRA coverage: keeping your health insurance after the divorce
COBRA [Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985] provides the right for certain employees and their dependents to purchase continuation health care insurance coverage through their employers. The act applies to employers with 20 or more employees, including certain federal…
First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes health insurance
The New York Times presents the flip side of a problem we deal with in divorce on a regular basis: health insurance. [See my related post on COBRA.] Kevin Sack writes about people who “rush to marry” in order to…
Keep your children out of the middle of your divorce
The Wall Street Journal uses the divorce of Robin Williams and his wife, Marcia Garces Williams, to remind us of the effects of divorce on children. Stephanie Coontz writes (excerpt): But a growing body of evidence suggests that normalizing divorce…
Living in Unscripted World: Using improv to move conversations and your life forward
CNN and Real Simple help us us think faster and better on our feet through improv (excerpt): 1. The “yes…and” technique The “yes…and” technique gives you the chance to acknowledge what’s been said and then move the conversation to a…
How to estimate your Social Security benefits: divorced spouses, married couples, single persons
The Social Security Administration’s new retirement estimator taps into your actual earnings history to provide more accurate estimates of benefits. It also allows for alternative future income scenarios. The estimator explains (excerpt): How the Retirement Estimator Works The Retirement Estimator…