The 2018 wedding season is just around the corner and has an extra buzz with the prospect of two royal ceremonies. If you are tying the knot this year, then you probably have most plans in place already. But have you considered adding a pre-nuptial agreement to your to-do list? Understandably, some couples do not want to contemplate what happens if their marriage does not have a fairy-tale ending.
A pre-nuptial agreement is a legal document that is designed to make things easier to sort out if the marriage breaks down and can, in fact, strengthen your marriage by:
Read more: Can a pre-nuptial agreement help to save your marriage?
Divorce solicitors are increasingly dealing with cases involving arguments over the division of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin.
If difficulties in tracing and recording such assets were not already enough, these divorce cases are further complicated by the wild volatility of such currencies, making it very difficult to value them correctly in time for final divorce settlements.
In fact, it has been reported that in the UK there have been numerous challenges in this area in recent months. For example, law firm Royds Withy King has spoken of a spate of divorce disputes involving Bitcoin, with one recent case worth £600,000 – however, just a couple of months ago the same amount of Bitcoin was valued at £1 million, and only one year before that £80,000.
The start of the year can be a stressful, difficult time for many. The post-Christmas period often means poor weather, financial troubles, increased tension in the household from too much time spent together over the holidays, and the longing for a fresh start.
It follows that, January is a time when law firms often notice an influx of divorce inquiries. But divorce is not a process to be rushed into. Of course, if you feel your marriage has irretrievably broken down, you will be eager to start anew, but there perhaps there are a few things you should get to grips with first.
Every marriage is different, and so it follows, that there's not one clear set of guidelines for every divorce. However, there are a few items of essential advice that will apply to most couples and these should help ensure the process runs as smoothly as possible for all parties involved.
Divorce at Christmas can be an incredibly difficult time for everyone involved but it can be possible to get through it. Read our top tips to find out more.
Surviving Christmas in the Midst of Divorce
Going through a divorce at Christmas is not something anyone would plan, but, for many, it is a reality. In fact, Christmas is the time of year when relationships tend to come under the most strain, and for some this will prove irreparable. This is a position supported by research conducted for 'The Visual Miscellaneum' (David McCandless and Lee Byron) who, after analysing countless Facebook profile relationship updates, found that the Christmas period is the time when a relationship is most likely to end.
For anyone who has ever had a family, let alone a marriage, the reasons are pretty obvious: December is the final month of the year and is therefore the time in the calendar in which it feels natural to bring an end to the relationship cycle; it is also the coldest time of the year and a bit of depression brought on by Seasonal Adjustment Disorder is to be expected; it is also a time of enormous stress, as Christmas’s practical and financial pressures intersect with the playing out of complex family relationships.
But for those who are already facing divorce or who are coming to terms with the reality of a full and irrevocable relationship breakdown, how is it possible to negotiate and survive Christmas without locking ourselves in a darkened cupboard and banging our heads against the wall?
Read more: Finding ways to cope with separation and divorce at Christmas
How you can get through the challenges of Christmas with children following a divorce.
Perhaps no other time of the year is quite as conflicted and confusing for a divorced parent as Christmas, especially the first one after relationship breakdown.
Whether the children are celebrating the season with you or with your former spouse, the mere fact of Christmas with all its logistical, symbolic and sentimental challenges can easily leave you feeling overwhelmed, embittered or regretful.
Yes, it's all too easy to turn on the television to see all the studio-lit, happy families of Christmas movies and feel like you are the only one who is suffering family problems. It may well seem that you are alone in experiencing misery and sadness at Christmas and that you are responsible for your children being deprived of what should be the most joyous time of the year.
Read more: Getting through Christmas with children after divorce
