“If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.” – Albert Einstein.
Whether it is McDonald’s, Jiffy Lubes or Verizon stores, Americans love a trusted brand. All of us enjoy the promise of consistent quality a branded business provides…even if we have never used that particular location before. Small business people become franchisees of these brands to happily enjoy the goodwill of the brands. The use of
They say you should marry someone who you share common interests with. Those interests may be religion, sports, theater or just sex. Unfortunately, you cannot take any of these interests home and put them on the wall to show your friends. Art is one interest that you can enjoy, you can buy…and you can even
A fool and his money are soon parted. This partition often happens before an Illinois divorce. Whether the investment was crypto, stock market day trading or other forms of essentially legalized gambling, big losses mean big problems in a relationship. As my mother liked to say “When poverty walks in the door….loves goes out the
Married people often put both of their names on the deed to their home. Sometimes, a parent or other person will also be on the deed with the married couple. If two is company, three is a crowd…especially during an Illinois divorce. Why Are Multiple People On A Deed In Illinois Both spouses on a
A divorce has a lot of moving financial parts. Divorcing people are earning money. Divorcing people are spending money. Divorcing people are selling assets. Divorcing people are buying things. As my dad used to say when he held up a coin, “It’s made round to go ‘round.” How do we keep track of this marital
After 17 years of divorcing people, I have learned that the average Illinois resident only has two assets: their 401(k) and their home. Their home is worth as much as it would sell for on the open market less than the balance of the mortgage for that home. This amount of surplus in value over
There used to be a very specific order in which people did things: they got engaged, they got married, they bought a house and then they had a baby. At least that’s what they told us. Now, people often get engaged, buy a house and then get married (and there might be a baby before
When relationships fall apart, people quickly seize the items that they believe are theirs (or just want). Often, they will take things that do not truly belong to them in order to spite the other party. “No, you didn’t have to stoop so lowHave your friends collect your records and then change your numberI guess
While some people may buy 10 shares of Microsoft, an infinitesimal amount of stock with zero voting power, other people may buy stock that allows them to control a portion of the company. Upon a significant sale of stock, the remaining stockholders have a new business partner…and that business partner often has a spouse. The
When a divorce begins, it feels like you didn’t know your spouse at all. Do you even know your spouse’s finances? What do you not know about your spouse’s income and assets? How will you find out what assets your spouse owns…that you may have a right to divide in your Illinois divorce? If there