Author: Morghan

Morghan Richardson is a family and divorce attorney and mediator in New York City. Her firm is Tarter Krinsky & Drogin LLP.

US Supreme Court Rules Same-Sex Marriage Legal Nationwide in Landmark Decision

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“No union is more profound than marriage, for it embodies the highest ideals of love, fidelity, devotion, sacrifice, and family. In forming a marital union, two people become something greater than once they were. As some of the petitioners in these cases demonstrate, marriage embodies a love that may endure even past death. It would misunderstand these men and women to say they disrespect the idea of marriage. Their plea is that they do respect it, respect it so deeply that they seek to find its fulfillment for themselves. Their hope is not to be condemned to live in loneliness, excluded from one of civilization’s oldest institutions. They ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law. The Constitution grants them that right.

The judgment of the Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit is reversed.

It is so ordered.”

You can read the full opinion here: http://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/14pdf/14-556_3204.pdf

Interview: Divorce is a luxury | Emma Johnson

wsm-header-eEarlier this week, Financial blogger Emma Johnson — who writes at WealthySingleMommy.com, Forbes.com and runs a popular podcast called “Earn Like a Mother” — and I spoke about the idea that Divorce is a luxury. Continue reading “Interview: Divorce is a luxury | Emma Johnson” →

Child-Support: Paying Your Fair-Share Or Funding Your Ex-Spouse’s Spending Spree?

Child support: violations can land you in jail. But is it really “fair”? Join the discussion in the comments.

Morghan's avatarThe Divorce Artist™️

2012-05-09_14-05-44_130Michael looked at me with a stunned glare. I re-ran the child support calculations again. After some (but not all) of his taxes were considered, the calculator showed the same number, 25% of his income for child support. “I knew I was going to pay; I just didn’t know it was going to be that much!”

Primary bread-winners repeat after me: you agreed to pay the bills during the marriage and you are stuck paying after the divorce.

Many times, the amount isn’t unfair, but rather the fact that you are forced to pay an ex-spouse (who probably gave you some emotional scars). And, on top of that, you have no ability to control how that money is spent (or if that money is even spent on the child — or her endless shoe collection). 

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The #1 Secret Weapon And Surprising Best Friend In Your Divorce

Reviewing the numbers in your divorce will always help guide you. You cannot ignore the math! In this post, I explore how the calculator can be your best friend when trying to come up with settlement terms for your case.

Morghan's avatarThe Divorce Artist™️

calculator Meet your new BFF

Mark was confused: his wife was demanding their co-op apartment in the divorce, and he felt – deep in his heart – that she should have it. His friends and coworkers were telling him it was a bad deal to trade-off paying her “alimony” and give her the apartment. And so was I. When Mark came in for our next appointment, I showed him my number one secret weapon in divorce – and his new best friend: a calculator.

“When you break down the tax benefits to paying ‘alimony’ and look closely at avoiding capital gains in a sale of the home, you are losing,” I told Mark. And so did the calculator.

Once Mark and I factored in the costs of litigation (best-case and worst-case), and examined his investment and retirement accounts, he had a choice: would he give up $175k in exchange for a…

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