Q I am divorcing my husband and remortgaging the property, which is in joint names. He has agreed to sign over the house to me, which will be done via the bank. However, is he liable to help financially with our three children, albeit the eldest is 20 and in full-time education, the other 16 and in full-time education and the youngest 10?
My concern is that he has not informed me how long this new mortgage deal is for, but he says it is better than what we are paying currently so I am better off – which is is why he thinks he should get £35,000 as it is a lifetime tracker with no fees at any stage. I am a little puzzled about this: does this mean it is like a variable rate mortgage, where if the interest rate goes up so do the payments? Are there any benefits I could claim once I become a single parent that I should know about? VF
A As a matter of some urgency, you need to get proper legal advice about the financial settlement you and your husband draw up on divorce. You can usually get a free initial consultation and I suggest you use a family lawyer who is a member of Resoluton to help you. An experienced family lawyer will be able to tell you whether you should negotiate for your ex-husband to pay maintenance – especially as the children are still in full-time education – and can also look at whether signing over the family home is a suitable arrangement.
As far as the new mortgage goes, it sounds to me like he has increased the loan in order to release £35,000 in cash for himself. If you are not happy with that, it is something you need to discuss with your lawyer. And you are totally correct that a lifetime tracker is a variable rate mortgage where payments will go up (and down) in line with interest rates.
For help and advice on becoming a single parent, I suggest you contact Gingerbread.
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Dementia diagnosis rates to rise in West Sussex - Chichester Observer
DRAMATIC increases in the diagnosis rate for West Sussex people suffering from dementia were predicted at a County Hall meeting on Thursday.
The West Sussex joint commissioning board was told there was now a commitment from NHS Sussex to provide the cash for establishing a memory assessment service from August, 2012 - £2.3m a year.
Tom Insley, principal manager, mental health and substance misuse, said he was really pleased with this development.
The impact of the service on the dementia diagnosis rate in West Sussex would be to increase it from 32 per cent in 2011 to 60 per cent by March, 2015.
A report presented at the meeting said the service would be publicised widely, and in a way that specifically included younger people developing dementia, people with a learning disability, and under-represented groups such as people from minority ethnic groups.
The roll-out of the service would be synchronised with co-ordinated GP training and awareness of how to access the service.
But there was a warning from one member that people should not assume an early diagnosis automatically meant the condition could be cured.
Responding, Dr Mike Sadler, the county council’s executive director of health and social care, told the board: “With many conditions, like cancer, early diagnosis means a cure - that isn’t the case here.”
To the best of his knowledge, there was no clearly demonstrated evidence that dementia could be prevented for the majority of cases.
As far as the most common form was concerned, it was not believed there was any obvious prevention.
Board chairman Cllr Michael Brown said they were still suggesting that 40 per cent of people with dementia might still be undiagnosed in 2015.
“How long will it take for every adult suffering from this condition to be diagnosed in a timely fashion?” he asked.
Mr Insley said further investment would be needed to achieve a bigger increase. The highest diagnosis rate in the country was at present about 58 per cent.
The board was told that new services which had come on stream over the last two years included a dementia crisis service, a care home in-reach service, and enhanced mental health liaison services.
The investment had resulted in improvements including fewer people being admitted to dementia psychiatric in-patient beds, and stays in these beds shortening; a shorter average length of stay for people with dementia in acute hospitals; and an improvement in the quality of life for people in care homes.
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Print this pageSource: www.chichester.co.uk
Parents' right to see children after divorce will be enshrined in law - The Independent
The Debate: Should we be doing more to combat climate change?
Fifty years ago, few people cared about pollution, deforestation, whaling or the Ozone later. But ev...
Source: www.independent.co.uk
New Jersey Divorce Advisors LLC Offers Divorce Clients Guidance on Creating a Case Information Statement - YAHOO!
New Jersey Divorce Advisors, LLC, the leading divorce financial experts in New Jersey, provides guidance to divorce clients. Getting it right the first time: why a Case Information Statement is the lifeblood of a divorce settlement, and how to be sure this essential paperwork is completed properly.
Red Bank, NJ (PRWEB) June 13, 2012
New Jersey Divorce Advisors, LLC, the leading divorce financial experts in New Jersey, have released their recommendations for completing a Case Information Statement(“CIS”) during the divorce process.A recent high-profile divorce case proves the point that one of the most important preparations a person must make before going to court is making sure the Case Information Statement is thorough and complete.
Luckily for Laura Blank, her original CIS paperwork (in New York State the CIS is called a Statement of Net Worth) in her divorce from Steven Simkin in 2006 was thorough and complete; it worked in her favor when Simkin brought her back to court to try to renegotiate the settlement agreement. According to the New York Times, when the two divorced, Blank and Simkin split their millions evenly. Blank took hers in the form of cash. That meant that her portion of the investment proceeds was liquidated. Unfortunately for Simkin, he chose to keep his portion of the assets invested with Bernie Madoff. When Madoff was arrested for fraud in 2008, Simkin lost everything he had invested with him. Simkin sued his ex-wife to try to alter the terms of their divorce agreement, but a New York judge ruled that the divorce settlement was based on the value of the asset at the time of the settlement, and as such given that the asset was an investment, there’s an implicit understanding that it may change over time. Had there been an error in the value shown in the CIS at the time of the settlement, the case could have been reopened (Simkin v. Blank, Index 48, NYLJ 1202547876121, at *1 Ct. of App., Decided April 3, 2012) .
The CIS is the most critical document in terms of the financial settlement, and indeed every case in the state of New Jersey requires the completion of a CIS, but what exactly is it?
“Simply put it is a Financial Affidavit created by each spouse,” says Jodi Carter, co-founder of New Jersey Divorce Advisors LLC, and a Certified Public Accountant (CPA). “The CIS contains a comprehensive list of all assets, liabilities, income, and expenses for both parties. It contains all relevant case information including date of the marriage, issues in dispute, children’s names, and the date of separation. And it breaks down the household income, taking into account bonuses and commission versus wages, and self-employment income, as well as appropriate tax deductions, analyzing required versus voluntary deductions such as 401(k) contributions.”
In addition, the CIS requires each spouse to set forth a budget as to the standard of living acquired during the marriage and expected after the marriage. This is why this form is the most important document in the divorce, it allows each party to track the money that was spent during the marriage, and also prepares each person for life after divorce. The form includes all of each person’s assets and liabilities, not only those that are subject to equitable distribution, and requires the submitting spouse to sign off on the accuracy and validity of the information contained in the document.
“Many parties and even some attorneys fail to appreciate the importance of preparing an accurate CIS. Success in negotiations, mediation, collaborative divorce, pendente lite motions, and trial depends on the accuracy of historic budgets, projected budgets, current income, and financial net worth,” says Hanan M. Isaacs, Esq., a Certified Matrimonial Specialist, mediator, and collaborative attorney located in Kingston, NJ.
In divorce litigation, the attorneys will rely on the information provided in the CIS to present their cases and negotiate an equitable settlement for their clients. The judge will also rely on the data provided in the CIS to assess the marital lifestyle and rule on alimony, child support, and distribution of assets. In mediation & Collaborative divorce, the CIS is not mandatory but is typically used because it is beneficial to the parties to work from this document. In less adversarial situations, the parties may create a joint CIS to be used by both parties.
“For many clients, the CIS represents the first time they’ve compiled a household budget or household balance sheet,” says Bryan Koslow, co-founder of New Jersey Divorce Advisors LLC, and a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst (CDFA™). “It forces people to compare their household inflows vs. outflows. At New Jersey Divorce Advisors LLC, we take it a step further by creating separate budgets for our clients for post-divorce to give them a framework for making decisions. For example, the budget will drive decisions about whether you can stay in the marital home, and how many hours you may need to work to support your desired lifestyle. The CIS is also the basis for determining how disruptive the divorce will be to college savings plans, retirement plans, and estate plans.”
Hiring a financial expert to create a lifestyle analysis takes the CIS preparation to the next level. The financial professional will meticulously examine tax returns, bank account statements, brokerage account statements, credit card statements, credit reports and other financial documents provided by the client to create an accurate account of the couple’s standard of living for the court. The lifestyle analysis will demonstrate the couple’s day-to-day expenses, and the spending habits of each party. This can help the court more clearly understand the couple’s finances, which is critical because one of the factors that the court considers when determining alimony is the standard of living to which each party was accustomed during the marriage.
Too often couples see the CIS as another required document for the divorce. By viewing this document as the basis for decisions and a wealth of information for planning for their future, it becomes a pivotal tool in moving from one stage of life to the next.
About NJDA
New Jersey Divorce Advisors, LLC is a financial consulting and planning firm specializing in the financial aspects of divorce. By analyzing the unique situation of each client, the firm structures equitable settlements and creates a plan for the client’s future. The firm, founded by a Certified Public Accountant and Certified Financial Planner™, provides clients a comprehensive financial assessment that includes tax analysis, financial planning, retirement and estate planning, and insurance recommendations. The firm may be utilized in Divorce Mediation, Litigation, or Collaborative Divorce.
Bryan Koslow
New Jersey Divorce Advisors
732-703-6532
Email Information
Source: news.yahoo.com
West Sussex sea defences may have trapped flood water - BBC News
The Environment Agency is investigating whether or not sea defences in West Sussex trapped flood water, making flooding there worse.
Flood water is being pumped away from parts of West Sussex where many people were forced to flee their homes.
Residents living in Bracklesham Bay said the water level only dropped when an emergency channel was dug.
However, Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman said the defences were not to blame.
The Environment Agency said no further properties had flooded overnight but it was keeping a watch on river levels.
It added that teams had been working round the clock with other emergency responders, checking flood defences and clearing blockages.
Gordon Wilson, from the Environment Agency, said: "We're investigating to try to understand what has led to such severe flooding here.
"And it is possible that given the diameters of pipes we put in as an interim measure, they were not sufficient to cope with such a huge amount of rain in such a short space of time."
Bracklesham resident Christopher Purchase said the water level remained static until the digger cut through the sea defences.
"It's pouring out of there like a plug out of the bath," he said.
However, Ms Spelman, who was visiting the area, said the Environment Agency did not believe the sea defences caused the floods, but the "sheer volume" of rainfall.
She added: "I've been very impressed by the emergency services response and all the other partners involved... but above all the community, and the way everyone pulled together to deal with an extreme weather event of this kind."
Roads impassableRising flood waters affected about 250 homes in the village of Elmer and caravans on two sites in Bracklesham.
Two flood warnings remain in place for the River Arun watercourse at the Aldingbourne Rife in Bersted and Felpham.
West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service said it had dealt with about 1,000 calls in 24 hours, evacuating hundreds of homes and pumping water from them.
Sean Ruth, deputy county fire officer for West Sussex, said it had been "an incredibly busy time" and it was necessary to seek help from neighbouring fire services in East Sussex and Hampshire.
Many roads had been impassable due to flooding. Closures remain in force on the A29 Lidsey Road at Woodgate and several minor roads to the west of the county.
There are also restrictions on the A259 at Littlehampton and A281 London Road at Henfield.
Nine schools in Bognor Regis and Chichester were either closed or partly closed because of the conditions, along with Felpham Community College.
Laburnum Grove Junior School in Bognor Regis remained shut on Wednesday due to serious flooding, and is not expected to reopen until next Tuesday.
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Russell: "Divorce Is Difficult Because Of The Admin" - MTV UK
The comedian also admits that K-Pez is still a person he loves...
Russell Brand has joked that the worse thing about his divorce from Katy Perry is the paperwork.
The funnyman, who is currently starring alongside Tom Cruise in Rock Of Ages, also explained to Lorraine Kelly that he still loves the Part Of Me singer - despite deciding to end their 14-month marriage last December.
When asked about K-Pez, Brand stated: "[The marriage] did work out in a way, you're married and it's good, then you're not married and it's good.
"You just have to have acceptance of things. She's a person I love but this is a new time."
The 36-year old then joked: "Divorce is difficult because of the admin. A lot of admin!"
Russell previously confessed he still had feelings for Perry during an interview on The Ellen DeGeneres Show last month, where he revealed: "I still love her as a human being, but, sometimes when you're in a relationship, I suppose it doesn't work out.
"That doesn't mean I regret it or anything. I was very happy to be married with her. She's such a beautiful human being and I just have only love and positivity for her."
Speaking fondly of the Teenage Dream star, he added: "That is still a person I still consider to be beautiful and I have nothing but positivity for her."
CHECK OUT 101 OF KATY PERRY'S FAMOUS LOOKS HERE!
SEE PICS OF KATY & RUSSELL IN HAPPIER TIMES HERE
Watch MTV News on the hour every hour on MTV - Sky Channel 126 and Virgin Channel 311
Source: www.mtv.co.uk
Reader poll - should we make more effort for Sussex Day? - Lewes Today
SATURDAY June 16 is Sussex Day - but how many people realise this and how many are celebrating it?
Despite publicity by West Sussex County Council, has the message got round about this special day?
Since its launch in 2007, Sussex Day, June 16, has been a chance for residents of Sussex to celebrate their county’s rich heritage.
Everyone in the county has had the opportunity to use the day to display in word and deed everything that is good about Sussex.
The date - June 16 - was chosen because it is St Richard’s Day – which marks the life of St Richard, who was Bishop of Chichester from 1245 until his death in 1253.
In Medieval times West Sussex was an important place of pilgrimage. Thousands made their way to the shrine of St Richard at Chichester cathedral every year.
The county council has been encouraging everyone to hang out bunting and make their own Sussex flag.
They have also launched a competition for schoolchildren to create a new school meal using the best of the county’s local produce.
Should we make more effort to celebrate all the good things in Sussex or is it not worth the effort?
Join in our poll (right) and add your comments below.
Source: www.sussexexpress.co.uk
From medals to a signed hard-boiled egg: Archive of 1950s British air speed king, also a WWII hero and Bond actor, is up for sale - Daily Mail
- Lieutenant Commander Peter Twiss smashed air speed record in 1956
- Collection includes wartime logbooks, Queen's commendation signed by Churchill, helmet he wore during record and flight goggles
- He was married five times and drove powerboat in From Russia With Love
- Memorabilia expected to fetch 12,000
By Nick Enoch
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He was a World War Two hero, an air speed king who later flew Concorde... and even appeared in a Bond film. And he was married five times.
Now, the astonishing archive of memorabilia that once belonged to Peter Twiss has emerged for sale.
Lieutenant Commander Twiss had already been awarded two gallantry medals for his part in the war when he smashed the air speed record at 1,132mph in 1956.
The legendary flyer, who went on to appear in From Russia With Love and was likened to great British action men Donald Campbell and Sir Edmund Hillary, died last year aged 90.
Scroll down for video
A signed photo of Peter Twiss after landing at Boscombe Down, Wiltshire, when he broke the air speed record in 1956. This is just one of the mementoes of his colourful life which is going up for auction
Lieutenant Commander Twiss's logbook, goggles and his OBE along with a model of the Fairey Delta 2 in which he smashed the record at 1,132mph
Twiss (centre) shows Prime Minister Anthony Eden his FD2 jet in Chichester, West Sussex in 1956
Now his family are selling all his flying memorabilia, from his wartime logbooks to the helmet he wore when he set the air speed record over Chichester, West Sussex.
There is his Queen’s Commendation signed by Winston Churchill for when he saved himself and his unique supersonic jet by crash landing at 170mph after it stalled at 26,000ft.
His medal group, which includes the Distinguished Service Order with bar for his wartime achievements as well as his OBE for his record setting flight, is also for sale.
There are also hundreds of photos including one of Lt Cmdr Twiss stepping out of his Fairey Delta 2 jet minutes after breaking the record.
Other images include him receiving his OBE from Prince Philip, him showing the Queen around the aircraft and one of the jet remarkably intact following the 1955 crash landing.
The air ace even kept this hard-boiled egg signed by the record-breaking team from the County Hotel in Salisbury, Wiltshire where they stayed
Twiss crash landed this FD1 in 1955 at 170mph after the engine cut out at 26,000ft, leaving it remarkably intact
The medals in the Twiss collection are his WWII DSC and Bar, OBE, 1939-45 Star, Atlantic Star with Air Crew Europe Bar, Africa Star and War Medal with miniature group
Another highlight is eight volumes of hand-scribed logbooks detailing every flight he made in his astonishing career.
The entries describing several wartime dog-fights are written in a stoic and matter-of-fact fashion as is the note he jotted down after the historic speed flight.
He wrote: 'Exercise Metrical. Flight from Boscombe Down over course Chichester-Ford-Chichester-Boscombe Down. Success! World air speed record, 1,132mph average.'
Stunned auctioneer John Cameron was asked by Sq Cmdr Twiss’ widow and two daughters to examine the collection for probate purposes.
It had all been meticulously archived by the late flyer in a summer house of his home in Titchfield, Hampshire.
Twiss with the FD2 and the development team after breaking the air speed record
The late flyer (above) had meticulously archived the material in a summer house of his home in Titchfield, Hampshire
Part of the collection includes his Queen's Commendation signed by Winston Churchill (above) for when he saved himself and his unique supersonic jet by crash landing after it stalled
Mr Cameron, of Jacobs and Hunt auctioneers of Petersfield, which is now selling the archive, said: 'To be involved in the sale of the personal effects of a true legend like Peter Twiss is a huge honour.
'He was one of the last truly great British pioneers who risked their lives in passionate pursuit of adventure and immortality.
'He is right up there with Donald Campbell, Edmund Hillary and Captain Scott - all names instantly associated with British history in various fields of endeavour.
'While many thousands of pilots have since flown over 1,000mph, Peter Twiss will go down in the annals of aviation history as the first.
A secret report from WWII of Twiss shooting down a Junkers during a night fight over France in June 1944
A photo of Twiss receiving the Queen's Commendation from Prince Philip in 1955
The helmet Twiss wore when he set the air speed record over Chichester, West Sussex
'He was an amazing character. He did it all in his life-time; he was a war hero, air speed record holder, flew Concorde, appeared in a Bond film and was married five times.
'His life was real Boy’s Own stuff.
'The collection now for sale spans Peter Twiss’s entire flying career.
'It is probably the most important aviation collection to come onto the market for many years, the likes of which we may never see again.'
Sq Cmdr Twiss was a tea taster with Brooke Bond before he joined the Fleet Air Arm in 1939 and then trained as a pilot.
He was awarded the DSC for shooting down an Italian plane while providing air support to the Malta convoys in 1942.
In the days after D-Day, he flew Mosquito fighter bombers and shot down two German Junkers 88 bombers over France.
By 1954, he became a chief test pilot with Fairey Aviation and a year later he made the incredible crash landing on a training flight.
Twiss kept this tiny component that was discovered, after his record-breaking flight, to be faulty. It meant he would not have survived had he had to eject from the aircraft
The legendary airman shows the Queen and Prince Philip the FD2 in 1956
The airman was awarded the Segrave Trophy in 1956 in honour of his achievements. Given by the RAC, it commends those who stretch the limits of transport by land, sea and air
On March 10, 1956 he achieved speeds of 1,117mph and 1,147mph - an average of 1,132mph - beating the previous fastest time by more than 300mph.
The record flight went down in history, although it upset several gardeners along the south coast as the sonic boom caused greenhouses to smash.
The medals in the Twiss collection are his WWII DSC and Bar, OBE, 1939-45 Star, Atlantic Star with Air Crew Europe Bar, Africa Star and War Medal with miniature group.
The collection is being sold in 21 lots on June 22 with a very conservative estimate of 12,000.
FROM TWISS, WITH LOVE: AT HOME IN PLANES... AND BOATS
The thrill-seeker even appeared in a Bond film
To add to his list of achievements, Twiss also made cameo appearances in two movies.
In 1960, he flew a Fairey Swordfish torpedo aircraft in Sink The Bismarck.
And in the 1963 James Bond film From Russia With Love, he fired a machine gun at Sean Connery from a Fairey Marine speed boat.
The change from sky to sea would have proved no problem for him - during the sixties, the thrill seeker loved to race powerboats.
Peter Twiss (right) drives villain Morzeny's boat in From Russia With Love
In the 1960s, Twiss was just as happy on the sea as he was in the sky
Source: www.dailymail.co.uk
Obamacare: Some GOP Governors Likely to Implement it if Supreme Court Upholds Health Care Law - ABC News
The fate of Obamacare -- the health care law championed by the White House -- is with the Supreme Court, which is expected to hand down a decision this month. If -- and it's a big if -- the court rules fully in favor of the law and its requirement that the government can require Americans to buy health insurance, it will put some Republican governors in the uncomfortable position of working with the federal government to implement a law they dislike.
Take Chris Christie, the Republican governor of New Jersey.
Democrats in the New Jersey legislature can expect him to work with them on implementing a state-regulated health insurance exchange, something is required under the health care law.
Part of the law requires that individuals buy medical insurance by 2014, but when they do, people and small businesses can purchase subsidized insurance through state-regulated exchanges.
Christie vetoed a measure in New Jersey to create exchanges back in May, but sounded grudgingly receptive to future action in his veto message to the state's general assembly. As governor, he applied for and accepted $8 million in grants from the Department of Health and Human Services to set up an exchange.
"While I am unwilling to approve the establishment of a statewide health insurance exchange at this time, I am mindful that the requirements of the Affordable Care Act still stand today and I intend to fully oversee New Jersey's compliance in a responsible and cost-effective manner should its constitutionality ultimately be upheld by the Supreme Court," said Christie in a letter to the New Jersey General Assembly.
Christie, regarded as moderate on many issues, has established himself as a Republican willing to fight the federal government. He has rejected federal money on numerous occasions. Still, many Governors, like Christie, have accepted federal grant money and are preparing to meet the 2014 deadline in the health care law.
"I don't think he's also going to stand as obstructionist for a law that has been passed by Congress and upheld by the Supreme Court," said Ben Dworkin, the director of the Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics at Rider University.
Still, conservative activists are watching to see what Christie and other governors do. Some are concerned that governors will allow Obamacare provisions to pass at the state level.
"I only hope that we can we can explain these different things to him and to educate his staff on why it's economically beneficial not to implement this in New Jersey," said Steve Lonegan, the New Jersey State Director at Americans for Prosperity, a conservative group founded with support from David and Charles Koch.
Christie probably won't be alone among Republican governors, who may have to scramble to implement the law if the Supreme Court lets it stand. If states don't establish their own programs by 2014, the law allows the Federal Government to intervene with its own health exchanges. Most states have applied for federal grant money but only a few are close to implementation.
New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez, like Christie, and has vetoed legislation in her state, citing the pending Supreme Court decision as a reason to delay. But Martinez has also accepted federal grant money. New Mexico will receive $34 million from HHS to establish its insurance exchange.
"I am in general support of the creation of a framework to establish a state insurance exchange because I believe it is important that New Mexico maintain control over the design of a market-based exchange, instead of allowing the federal government to define the process," said Martinez in her veto to the state legislature.
Gov. Mitch Daniels of Indiana went even further when he issued an executive order last year to establish insurance exchanges. His state is getting $6.8 million from HHS. Republicans control the Indiana State Legislature.
Where does Mitt Romney stand on exchanges?
Romney has repeatedly said he is "for repealing Obamacare on day one." But his newly minted transition head, Mike Leavitt, has no problem with the concept of state health insurance exchanges, according to Politico.
Source: abcnews.go.com
When I look at the front end of the FD2, it reminds me of Concorde which came along about twelve years later. The FD2 even had the tilting nose cone.
- Mac, London, 13/6/2012 20:09
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