The ability to claim your children as your dependents is one of the most significant tax breaks that parents have, especially once you factor in things like the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). However, that seemingly straightforward process can become complicated once you're divorced.
Asking for sole custody? Here's why you should reconsider.
Are you seeking sole custody of your child after your divorce? Custody is a big "hot button" issue for a lot of divorcing parents, and it isn't very unusual for one parent to seek to exclude the other from custody for any number of reasons. Before you join their ranks, however, those who have had a front-line view of numerous custody battles say that you need to reconsider.
Parental alienation and its effects on children
What kind of parent purposely ruins the relationship a child has with their other, perfectly loving parent?
Denied visitation? Preserve your relationship and rights
Is your child's other parent denying you appropriate visitation with your children? Despite the fact that it's important for children to maintain a relationship with both their parents whenever possible, custodial parents will sometimes see fit to deprive non-custodial parents of their visitation rights.
Are family courts biased against fathers who seek custody?
If you're a father seeking primary custody of your children -- or, at a minimum, even parenting time -- is it possible to get fair treatment in court?
Fathers say the family court system is unfair
A lot of parents feel that the system that's used to determine child support and custody is deeply unfair. Fathers, in particular, seem to feel that they don't get equal treatment in the court.
Celebrity couple models cohabitating agreement
One of the moms featured in The Real Housewives of Orange County is modeling a post-divorce style of shared parenting that seems remarkable for its emphasis on the children -- even if it isn't for everybody.
What could cause you to lose custody of your children?
When you're divorced, custody issues are never really 100 percent settled until the youngest child becomes an adult. Until then, physical custody and visitation rights are always subject to revision, but only if there's a good reason.
What can you expect at an initial child custody hearing?
If you're a parent, your children are important to you, so it's perfectly understandable if you're feeling anxious about the initial child custody hearing.
Should you consider parallel parenting?
There's been a cultural shift in the nation's family courts toward "co-parenting" after divorce -- where both parents continue to have roughly equal responsibility for their children's upbringing -- instead of one parent having primary custody. This has brought about a greater need for cooperation between divorced parents.
