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Understanding Divorce and Protecting Your Interests

Filing for divorce is never easy to go through, but it is possible to end a marriage peacefully with very little difficulty. However, this is not always the case in many divorce proceedings.

The divorce lawyers are usually the only ones that truly win big in the long run. A long drawn out divorce proceeding can be extremely overwhelming for both the parties, emotionally and financially. The longer it takes to settle a divorce, the longer the conflict continues. This can create huge legal fees for both sides. However, it doesn’t have to be this way if you obtain the assistance of a qualified legal document assistant or paralegal.

The divorce procedure itself often tends to be overwhelming for most of us and the issues arising out of the divorce can be complex. Remember, the less legal involvement using an attorney, the more money in the bank when the procedure is all over. Also, keep in mind that there is life after a divorce. You will have ability to protect your assets and protect your credit after your marriage is over.

Most often, both parties will agree on the settlement and other pertinent matters without an attorney and the final dissolution can take place fairly quickly. It is possible this can all happen before the mandated waiting period is up and both parties can agree on what is fair.

There can be many questions about the divorce procedure and they need to be addressed. The procedure usually starts with a divorce petition that is initiated by one spouse (the Petitioner) and served on the other (the Respondent). The petition, which includes detailed information about the marriage, is also filed with the clerk of court in the county where you live. The petition includes many facts about your marriage including the names of the husband and wife, the date and place of marriage, names of any children resulting from your marriage, separate or community property held by you or your spouse, child custody, child support, spousal support, and any other issues that needs to be addressed before dissolution of the marriage is finalized. A properly filed divorce requires that the respondent spouse be given reasonable notice that the divorce petition has been filed, either in person or by a process server. The respondent then has a given amount of time to answer or file a counter-claim if one is necessary. If both parties agree on the terms of a settlement, a court hearing is not required and the divorce will be final. Legal document assistants are capable of helping you process your divorce for far less money than an attorney and just as effective.

There is a minimum waiting period (usually six months) which is mandated in most states. Also, remarriage is not allowed until the waiting period is over, which commences on the date the case was first filed.

The Best Credit Cards To Apply For After Bankruptcy

By Ben DeMeter

Bankruptcy can negatively impact every aspect of your life, but it has a particularly terrible effect on your credit score.

A declaration of bankruptcy can sink your credit rating by as much as 220 points for seven years or more.

That’s enough to take a “good” score down to “poor,” which means that you won’t be able to enjoy your low interest rates, cash back rewards and high spending limits for a long, long time.

However, filing for a Chapter 13 or Chapter 7 bankruptcy doesn’t mean that you should stop using credit altogether. The best way to get lenders to trust you again is to show them that you’re actively rebuilding your credit score through regular spending and repayment. So where do you find a credit card that you actually qualify for?

Well, in light of the 2008 credit crunch, many credit card issuers have started offering cards designed specifically for consumers who’ve experienced a bankruptcy. These cards feature limits that increase over time as well as additional monitoring services that are designed to help you get your credit score back on track.

Here’s a look at some of the best ones currently on the market.

The Orchard Bank Classic MasterCard. Don’t let the palm tree, butterfly or dolphins on the card face fool you – the Orchard Bank Classic MasterCard is a very aggressive spending tool. To help you spend more often and more intelligently, the card allows you to choose your own repayment date, and you’ll receive email and text message reminders as that date approaches. It also features other benefits, like a 24/7 help line, emergency card replacement and zero-liability fraud protection to keep you secure while you rebuild your score.

The AccountNow Prepaid Visa Card. The AccountNow Prepaid Visa is one of those rare prepaid debit cards that actually reports your spending history to a credit monitoring bureau. You can load it up with as much as $5,000 a day (for no charge), and you can even write online checks with it for free. Since the card doesn’t carry a balance, it’s good choice for consumers who are worried about falling back into debt.

The CreditOne Platinum Visa. Watch out! Someone just got their Platinum Card back! Well, sort of. If you’re concerned about those snobs at the country club finding out that you lost it all, you can keep up the appearance of “platinum status” while rebuilding your credit score with the CreditOne Platinum Visa.

For $75 a year, the card will report all of your monthly purchases to the major credit monitoring bureaus, but that’s not all. You’ll also get travel accident insurance, and your spending limit will increase automatically over time. Break out the Grey Poupon, because somebody’s living the high life again.

No matter how you slice it, bankruptcy credit cards aren’t ideal pieces of plastic. They have low limits.

They make you cough up a security deposit to use them. They come with annual fees. But in a market full of rip-off products for “bad credit” consumers, at least these credit cards are honest. They’ll report all your purchases to the major credit monitoring agencies and your spending limit will increase as you continue to prove your trustworthiness. And after a year or so, you might even be eligible for an upgrade.