Tag: benefit

In a world of IRAs, bonds, annuities and investment property, one retirement benefit often gets overlooked, or not discussed at all, by some financial advisers: Social Security.

In retirement, you need to create as much fixed, guaranteed income as you can. Social Security is just as valuable as any of your other assets.

Many of us run from conflict. It just seems to be a part of the human psyche. When we don't agree with an issue, sometimes we skulk away to fume and fuss privately instead of confronting the issue head on. Many of us would never admit that we fear standing up for ourselves because to be bold, strong and assertive is politically correct. This is what is expected of us as well-adjusted adults, so we like to claim these traits as our own.

In real life, however, speaking what's on our mind gets a bit more complicated. Some of us can vacillate inconsistently between cowardice and bravado, others can become onerous, aggressive and downright nasty while still others will run away with their tail between their legs.

The societal shame at the thought of divorce has lifted. Today, unhappy marriages can have an expiration date. It was just a few decades ago that marriages would have lasted for year after unhappy year.

Today, I’m seeing couples in my practice as a divorce mediator who simply chose the wrong partner; they married in good faith and it didn’t work out… but far more often, I see marriages ending for reasons that could have been averted with a little attention from both spouses. If your marriage isn’t healthy for you, by all means seek the benefit of divorce—but if you hope to work through a bad patch and avoid a visit to my offices, here are some common, modern-day situations that are leading to divorce.

Oh, that sweet feeling of falling in love! That dizzying magical enchanted feeling that all is right with the world, and certainly with you as you feel swept off your feet. Then of course, reality sets in. He snores, leaves his clothes on the floor of the closet, and wet towels—well, that too. He comes home tired and spends the weekend asleep on the couch or buried in work. You feel abandoned, neglected and, although you love him, you hardly feel in love.