San Diego County Family Law Blog

A celebrity couple known for making public displays of attention announced that they were separating this week. Musical artist Seal and supermodel Heidi Klum confirmed their separation on Sunday, after almost seven years of marriage.

If the California couple decides to move forward with divorce there will likely be a lot of assets at stake. Not to mention, the couple has three children together and a fourth from Klum's previous relationship, so child custody will also be an issue.

There are several states around the nation that have passed alimony reform laws or are considering doing so. One of the biggest objections to current alimony laws in these states is permanent alimony.

A permanent alimony award continues throughout the lives of the divorced couple, unless the court allows the order to be modified for a significant change in circumstances, such as a lost job or the spouse receiving alimony remarries.

Recently, the Wall Street Journal published a very informative article on Social Security retirement benefits and divorce. The article pointed out that people who were divorced many years ago, or went through the process on their own, likely never heard about an opportunity for a bigger retirement benefit.

First, Social Security retirement benefits are calculated by looking at a person's earning record. The more a person has earned in taxable income throughout their working life, the bigger the retirement benefit will be.

Welcome back to our discussion on legal separation. As we have said, it is becoming more common for people in California to choose legal separation as an alternative to divorce. The decision can be influenced by many factors, including finances.

In fact, for some people, legal separation could end up being a better choice financially than divorce. A recent Forbes article explained a handful of scenarios in which a legal separation may be financially superior to a divorce. Here are a few:

Legal separation is becoming more common in California and elsewhere. Although some people choose legal separation as an alternative to divorce for religious or personal reasons, there can be financial reasons that influence the decision as well.

As a recent article from Forbes pointed out, there are a growing number of couples choosing to stay legally separated for a length of time or permanently because of the financial benefits it offers in certain situations.

As we often discuss, mediation is one of the most efficient ways to settle a divorce. Here are some reasons why mediation is a good option for many divorcing couples:

1. It can be less expensive than litigating a divorce in court;
2. It can offer privacy as California law protects settlement discussions in mediation as confidential;
3. It allows the parties in a divorce to have more control of the outcome, rather than a judge; and
4. It can be a more amicable way to part ways, which can prevent hostility for years down the road, especially if children are involved.

For many people, the New Year will also mean a new marital status. This is true for one of the most famous pop stars in the world, self-described "California girl" Katy Perry.

It was reported that Perry's husband of 14 months, British comedian and actor Russell Brand, filed for divorce on Dec. 30 citing "irreconcilable differences." The announcement came after year of media reports that the couple's marriage was on the rocks.

Welcome back. We are discussing a recent article in The Wall Street Journal that highlights the financial problems many people encounter after divorcing later on in life.

According to the article, older women are especially vulnerable in a divorce because some have not held long careers outside of the home or established their own retirement assets. This means they have to depend on the retirement savings of their ex-spouses to get by.

So what can you do to prepare yourself for a divorce later on in life? The article said that there are a few steps every couple should consider taking, even those who seem happily married.