Cost One of the biggest benefits of foster care adoption is cost. Those who have never looked into adoption typically do not understand that adopting a child is not as straightforward as it sounds. Depending on your circumstances and location, the cost of private adoption can be exorbitant. In many states, it is not uncommon for the…
How Does DCFS Get Involved with “Good” Parents? Imagine this: you’re taking a nap on the couch, only to be awoken by a knock on the door. It’s the police and they’re concerned that your seven-year-old was playing outside unsupervised—and you didn’t even know they’d gotten outside. Stuff like this happens all the time and can, in some cases, cause DCFS to pay a…
They Pay You to Adopt While foster parents are generally paid a stipend to cover the day-to-day expenses of the foster children they’re caring for, foster parents aren’t paid money to adopt their foster kids. Although adopting via the foster care system generally comes with minimal expenses when compared to…
“Why Is DCFS on My Doorstep?” DCFS is generally called when there is reason to believe that abuse or neglect is occurring within the home. If there’s enough information in the initial report to launch an investigation, DCFS may show up at your home. Parents should also understand that DCFS…
Counselling and Support Groups While DCFS does remove children from homes, this is generally seen as a last resort. Typically there are other steps DCFS takes in order to remedy the situation before putting a child through the traumatic process of removing them from their home. It’s common for DCFS…
How Is Alimony Calculated? The way alimony is calculated will vary from state to state and, depending on your location, alimony may be completely up to the judge’s discretion. Generally speaking, however, there are a few factors that are commonly considered when determining who is going to pay alimony, how…
Well, Can I Throw My Ex’s Things Away? If your spouse has moved out with the essentials and left a whole bunch of non-essentials at your place, you may be wondering whether or not you can throw them out, or if you have to wait for your spouse to come…
What Is Fraud and How Are Statistics Gathered? In civil cases, when someone behaves fraudulently, it means that they knew—or at the very least had reason to believe—that things weren’t as advertised. Legally speaking, in order to prove that someone committed fraud, you have to prove that they intentionally misrepresented…
Should You Have a Prenup if You’re Broke? A lot of people will say that you only need a prenuptial agreement if you have something to protect—a premarital asset like a house or inheritance—in the case of a divorce. So, if you and your spouse get married young and you’ve…
Squandering Assets Can you squander your assets in order to prevent your spouse from getting any money from you? After all, you can’t be ordered to pay an alimony settlement if you’ve gambled all the money away in Las Vegas, right? Technically speaking, a judge cannot order you to make…
How to Survive and Thrive When Your Marriage Ends