Cartersville Legal Blog

Have you ever attended a wedding and thought, "This will never last?" If so, your instincts may be picking up on subtle cues that a couple isn't really compatible. Researchers say that there are several scientific ways to predict a divorce.

So, what are the biggest predictors of long-term marital instability?

Money causes divorce, regardless of your financial level. When couples don't agree about how to spend or save money, it can lead to serious issues with the relationship, even if they're relatively wealthy.

That said, many money problems that lead to divorce come from a distinct lack. Not being able to make ends meet puts a lot of stress on a couple or a family. Remember, stress is also linked to divorce. Some of the money issues that can end a marriage include:

• Worrying about your financial situation all the time because you just feel like there's never enough money.
• Always wanting to buy the most expensive items when less expensive options would be fine.
• Racking up a lot of debt on credit cards; this can happen when you don't earn enough money for your lifestyle or even when you do have a good salary.
• Taking out too many loans. For instance, maybe you have student loans and a mortgage, but you're considering more loans on top of that.
• Buying things that are a "bad" investment before things that are a good investment. For instance, spending on an expensive car instead of a house.
• Ignoring complaints from your significant other about your spending habits.

The next time you see someone texting in traffic, consider what they must be thinking. Surely, they know that texting and driving causes accidents. Maybe they don't know the exact statistics, but they know that the risk of an accident goes up when they choose to do it. That doesn't stop them. Why not?

Odds are, the reason is that they think that it will not happen to them. This is often called "optimism bias" and it's something many people suffer from. They know that bad things happen, but they think someone else will suffer those negative outcomes and they'll be fine. They think the texting driver who crashes will be one lane over and the passenger who loses their life will be in another car.

Alimony is a sensitive topic for many people. You may feel uncomfortable with the idea of writing monthly checks to your ex-spouse, which is understandable. However, spousal support is an important part of family law that ensures the continued financial stability of a partner who earned significantly less during a marriage.

Still, your financial well-being is also important, and paying spousal support should not compromise that security. If you are unfamiliar with the spousal support process, you might not recognize when the amount is appropriate and when it should change. Here are a few things regarding spousal support that you should keep in mind.