Brazilian public notary Claudia do Nascimento Domingues set off a firestorm by granting Brazil's first civil union to a trio, an act so unprecedented that there isn't a word for it in Portuguese.
Mark Zuckerberg's marriage to his longtime girlfriend, Priscilla Chan, one day after he became one of the richest men on the planet may have seemed oddly timed. But, according to divorce lawyers, it was spot on.
My marriage ended in 1995 after 23 years. My two daughters were adults. I knew I would be required to pay alimony, split the assets and provide health insurance for a reasonable period of time. But a marriage that had been difficult for many years was finally over, or so I thought. I didn't know I was about to enter the twilight zone of alimony-without-end in Massachusetts.
If Massachusetts' strangely arcane Alimony Reform Act were to become the law of the land, the financial well-being and security of married women could be seriously threatened.
Four same-sex couples in the Aloha State celebrate the new year with 'I dos' in Hawaii's first civil unions ceremony.
Several same-sex couples came together in the first minutes of New Year's Day in Honolulu to become the first in the state's history to enter into civil unions.
The ex-wife of a Hong Kong business tycoon has been awarded a divorce settlement worth $154 million.
The model filed a support order Monday in Manhattan Family Court requesting money for a nanny and driver
New court papers clarify his position on money for Maria Shriver
In a move largely seen as a compromise over the rights that can be afforded to gay and lesbian couples, Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee on Saturday signed into law a bill that legalizes civil unions, making his state the fifth in the nation to allow them.
Rhode Island state senators sound off about a bill that permits civil unions for gay and lesbian couples.
Less than a week after New York became the nation's sixth state to legalize same-sex marriage, Rhode Island state lawmakers on Wednesday voted in favor of a bill that permits civil unions between gay and lesbian couples.
Starting Wednesday, same-sex couples in Illinois can enter into civil unions and enjoy many of the legal protections granted to married couples.
Calling it "a moment in our history," Delaware Gov. Jack Markell has signed a bill legalizing civil unions for same-sex couples in the state.
Delaware lawmakers on Thursday approved a measure legalizing civil unions, sending the bill to the governor for his signature.
The Colorado Senate on Thursday approved a civil unions bill that would allow same-sex couples the right to inherit property, apply for family leave and share medical decisions.
Gov. Neil Abercrombie signs a civil union bill making Hawaii the seventh state to recognize civil unions in the U.S.
Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie signed into law a bill that will legalize civil unions for same-sex couples in the Aloha State.
Illinois joined five other states Monday in legalizing civil unions, a move that will give same sex couples many of the legal protections that are now granted to married couples.
Illinois' state Senate approved legislation Wednesday that will give same-sex couples many of the same rights as married couples.
The actor-director was ordered to pay $60,000 in overdue child support
Brooke Mueller gets $2 million plus $55,000 a month in child support, according to an agreement
But ex-girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva is not owed alimony as they were not married, a legal expert says
Jesse James's rep also denies a report that he has reached out to attorneys
Divorce is almost always a messy business, but certain settlements between former beloveds can be somewhat absurd. Here's a look at some examples of offbeat divorce settlements.
CNN's Kyung Lah tells the story of Craig Morrey, a U.S. father in Japan fighting for joint custody of his daughter.
What do you need to know about the couple's divorce filings - and what to ignore
When Les and Anna Glowacz made an estate plan five years ago, they felt confident they'd be able to pass a sizable chunk of assets to their offspring. But after the economy went south, "everything changed," says Anna, 55, a pharmacist.
The action follows an attempt to reconcile with his wife of 13 years, Robin Wright Penn
Vermont's House and Senate voted Tuesday to override the governor's veto of a bill legalizing same-sex marriage in the state.
A Virginia woman says her child support payments are being charged bank fees. CNN's Drew Griffin reports.
For the past year, Donna Chamberlain has worked at a fuel center here in Virginia's Roanoke Valley. It pays roughly half of what her old job did, but after being out of work for 14 months, she feels lucky to have it.
Vermont Gov. James Douglas announced Wednesday that he plans to veto a bill that would grant same-sex couples equal rights in marriage, if the bill reaches his desk.
Lisa and Bruce Brown are fortunate enough to have plenty of assets to protect. Foremost of these is their children: The Browns are the proud parents of four-year-old Emma, and they have another baby on the way. The Oakland couple also have considerable assets of the financial variety. Thanks to diligent saving and smart property investments, the Browns have a net worth of nearly $2 million.
The once bitterly feuding couple "amicably resolved" their differences, Rodriguez's lawyer says
The ex-SNL star says they split just six weeks after their wedding due to "irreconcilable differences"
Former Gov. James E. McGreevey will not have to pay alimony to his ex-wife, a judge ruled Friday in granting the couple a divorce after a tumultuous eight-year marriage that crumbled publicly when McGreevey acknowledged he was a "gay American"
Former New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey will not have to pay his ex-wife alimony, a judge ruled Friday in granting the couple's divorce.
Attorneys deliver closing arguments in the divorce hearing for former New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey and Dina Matos.
The government has intercepted $842 million in economic stimulus payments for 1.5 million Americans who have skipped out on child support obligations, student loans or tax bills.
A woman who helped raise a child with her female partner in Vermont before the pair split can visit the girl in Virginia even though that state doesn't recognize same-sex unions, a court ruled Friday.
When Susan Harris divorced her husband of five and a half years last December, she got the apartment, extra closet space and the covers all to herself.
Former New Jersey Governor Jim McGreevey testifies during his divorce proceedings.
Paul McCartney and his estranged wife, Heather Mills, returned to a London court Monday for the second round of their high-profile divorce.
The battle between Paul McCartney and his estranged wife, Heather Mills, for his estimated $1.6 billion fortune looks likely to stretch into a second week.
Hulk Hogan's estranged wife Linda is seeking half of the couple's more than $9.5 million in assets, including a share of the value of their Bel Air mansion.
CNN's A.J. Hammer has the latest on the Hogan family troubles.
Britney Spears has lost visitation rights for now with sons Preston, 2, and Jayden, 1, according to a court document released Thursday.
We told you last week about a report by Genworth Financial that found a disproportionately large percentage of mortgages made to African American and Hispanic home buyers were high-cost subprime loans. Here's how you can protect yourself from credit discrimination.
Britney Spears "just wants to be a mom," her lawyer, Laura Wasser, said Friday - adding, "I believe this is a frustrating time for her."
Her return appearance at the MTV Video Music awards left Britney Spears' comeback up in the air. But the pop star seems intent on putting to rest her custody issues with her ex, Kevin Federline.
Ryan Phillippe has filed a legal response to soon-to-be ex-wife Reese Witherspoon's divorce claim, according to court documents obtained by PEOPLE.
Facing pressure from the state's top court, the New Jersey Legislature voted Thursday to give gay and lesbian couples the rights and privileges of marriage, while using the term "civil unions" to describe the partnerships.
Former Beatle Paul McCartney has vowed to "vigorously" defend himself against allegations of mistreatment allegedly made by his estranged wife, former model Heather Mills.
Tax season is no one's favorite, but it can be particularly onerous if you're newly divorced or separated.
Making plans to preserve your assets in case of a divorce may not be very romantic. But with half the population headed for divorce court after a trip down the aisle, it's not such a bad idea.
Jane Chen was a well-paid Wisconsin anesthesiologist. But at the age of 43, she decided to stay home with her three school-age children.
CNNMoney: Are prenups for you?updated: Wed Jun 01 2005 14:44:00
The wedding bells are ringing. It's June, the busiest month for weddings.
After the 27-year marriage of Brenda and James Mani ended, a court ordered Brenda to pay James $610 per week in spousal support. But Brenda strenuously objected.
Kimbra Martin tracked her ex-husband across the country for 10 years in search of child support payments for their only son.
NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Anyone who has seriously contemplated or entered into marriage knows one thing: nobody comes without baggage.
NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - You've really been looking forward to getting married except for one niggling detail: your partner has asked for a prenuptial agreement.
Dear Armchair Millionaire: Our daughter recently got engaged and will be married this winter. We have been wondering about when a prenuptial agreement might be called for. Any guidance on this issue? -- Miami Dad
Nobody likes to think about it. But the more effort you put into estate planning now, the better off your loved ones will be when you're gone.
If there's one man who understands the business of breakups, it's Raoul Felder. In 38 years as a divorce lawyer he has represented big names such as Robin Givens, Rudolph Giuliani, and the wives (y...
Kelly Noonan, 33, an account executive for an insurance investigation firm in Middletown, Conn. grew up believing that her financial life wouldn't start until she got married. After all, that's how...
Think about the difference between a valuable piece of financial advice and a valuable financial strategy. Advice takes you from A to B; it's what helps you reach a light in the near distance. Stra...
In a perfect world you would segue effortlessly from a lifetime of work to a comfortable retirement. And when you died, your fortune would amply provide for your spouse and eventually flow to your ...
Ben Franklin may have been right about most things. But ironically, death taxes--those steep federal levies that erode your wealth as it passes from one generation to the next--can be avoided or at...
Few financial dreams are as cherished as the one of leaving something "to the kids"--not to mention the grandkids. But a desire to enrich your progeny after you're gone may obscure an important fac...
Once upon a time, a good corporate wife was to be seen and not heard. She was to make sure nothing, but nothing, came between her man and his work. She was to shield him from the tedious and distra...
After reading the first stories in this special report, you're probably revved up by the idea that you can accumulate enough assets to provide all the money you'll need in retirement. But to really...
What's new in estate planning? Glad you asked. Congress is talking about lifting the number of tax-free dollars you can give away during your lifetime from $600,000 to $1 million, the tax bite on f...
Jane Markey, 45, a state appeals court judge in Grand Rapids, had never before felt an emotion quite like this one. But last September, as she and her lawyer husband Curt Benson, 37, prepared for a...
What's scarier--contemplating your own demise or paying a lawyer $125 or more an hour to prepare for it? Neither option is inviting, which probably explains why about 70% of American adults don't b...
When your soul finally slips over the Great Divide, will your worldly goods pass equally smoothly to your heirs? If you have an up-to-date will, you have every reason to believe the answer is yes--...
It's one of those worries that dance on your chest in the wakeful wee hours of the morning. For Mary and Claudio DeBaggis of Mercerville, N.J., the watershed event was the birth of their twins, Mic...
Conservative legislators in a growing number of states want to make it tougher to file for divorce largely in order to help the couples' children. This year 12 states (Arizona, Georgia, Illinois, I...
DIVORCE AIN'T pretty. There's anger. There's grief. And there's the need to move on. You can move to a new town, settle into a new business, surround yourself with a whole new group of friends. And...
THE UNITED STATES is the world's divorce mill, and in this decade, sadly, a lot of us are going to be headed for Splitsville. During the 1990s the Bureau of the Census reckons that somewhere betwee...
For most of her 23 years of marriage Marilyn Svee, 44, never balanced a checkbook, paid her own bills or thought about stocks and bonds. She didn't even have a credit card in her own name. She didn...
YOU HAVE ARRIVED in Heaven, the ultimate 19th hole, where there's ample time for post-mortems. A hard charger on earth, you have sought out your own kind, a group of angels in a cloudy corner who a...
Maybe you've seen one of the dozens of newspaper ads placed by lawyers and financial planners urging you to attend special no-charge seminars where you'll hear about the wonders of living trusts, w...
In planning their estates, Terry and Patty MacEwen of Dayton had to solve two problems. First, Terry, 41, and Patty, 37, wanted to make sure that their legacy would be kept safe and managed properl...
FAMILY MATTERS The stories that follow in this section expand on the role of wills and trusts in your estate planning. 110 Trusts That Protect Your Family 117 How to Pay Zero Estate Taxes 126 Writi...
Keeping your wealth in the family gets more complicated with each passing year. Indeed, recent changes in the tax laws have made some folks less concerned about the Pale Rider than about the tax co...
Money Magazine: DIVORCE AND IRAS updated: Mon May 01 1989 00:01:00
In Money Helps (March) in providing an answer to a question about IRA assets in a divorce settlement, you may be mistaken. Internal Revenue Code Section 408(D)(6) and IRS Letter Ruling 8649053 both...
Guardianship is not inevitable even if you eventually become incapacitated. But to stand a chance of sidestepping court supervision, you must draft a solid estate plan with a lawyer's help before i...
When her 18-year marriage unexpectedly broke up two years ago, Mary Gillilland, 43, was thrown into an emotional maelstrom that left her little energy to worry about the economic repercussions of h...
Jane Fox, 41, faced an ocean of financial troubles when she and her husband agreed to part five years ago. She and her two daughters, Anna, then four, and Katherine, 1, resettled in a small, 3 1/2-...
IT'S STRANGE but true: about seven of 10 adults have life insurance, but only a third have wills. The most plausible explanation for such faulty forward planning is that insurance is sold and wills...
Of all the possible threats to your family's wealth, from inflation to bear markets to natural disasters, only one is certain to occur: your death. So while estate planning may not be the most plea...
Money Magazine: ALL THAT LEGALESEupdated: Thu Oct 01 1987 00:01:00
To protect your assets from taxes and the fees and traumas of probate, you should first master the terms that are basic to estate planning. Here is a glossary culled from the special report:
Who would actually want to die without a will? Your financial plan, no matter how carefully crafted, would be forgotten, your assets would be disposed of according to a rigid legal formula, and you...
The American divorce rate keeps rising, and yet we hear less than we used to about certain themes long associated with divorce. We are less likely to hear the word ''alimony,'' for example. Nor is ...
© 2013 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
|