financia planning

patti — Fri, 02 May 2008 06:15:21 -0400

I went to a financial planner recommended by my accountant. I went complete with all my expenses, debt, upcoming costs... everything that was affecting my finances. I was looking for a financial plan. His response was come back next year when you have money you want to invest. So if there are planners out there who want to actually assist making a plan to reestablish some semblance of financial stability i would love to know how to find them. At a minimum a friend recommended debt reduction software. So maybe i will try that.

Thans for sharing!

Guest — Thu, 01 May 2008 21:03:55 -0400

Very helpful information -- please keep it up!!!

Child Support Falling Short?

Elizabeth Cox — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 12:00:00 -0400

The saying goes that the face of poverty is a woman. Make that a divorced or single mother with insufficient child support. On average women experience a dramatic drop in their standard of living after divorce while a man's standard of living improves significantly.

Why the disparity?

First of all, because there is no financial value assigned to the time we tend to our children, this value is not computed in divorce agreements. There is no accounting for the opportunity cost of lost salary and career growth for the hours spent taking care of a child. Also, child support guidelines, which are determined state by state, are not intended to cover all costs associated with raising a child and often fall far short. They take into account the cost of food, housing, clothing, and some healthcare expenses. But they do not cover a range of other expenses from after school activities like music lessons or sport lessons to vacations, or restaurant meals to school supplies. These expenses rise significantly as children get older.

The sad truth is that if a caregiver mother suffers financially, so does her child. And the human story behind this financial story is heart wrenching. One of my clients described how her child went from a comfortable standard of living to below the poverty line virtually overnight. The child was afraid to tell her that he'd outgrown his sneakers. Another said her daughter declined invitations to go to the movies with her friends because she didn't want to have to ask for movie money. In both cases, the father was making over $200,000 per year!

So how can you make ends meet if child support payments are insufficient?

firstwivesworld - Child Support Falling Short? - Comments

financia planning

Thans for sharing!

Child Support Falling Short?