Joint credit cards don't dissolve with divorce
Removing one person from a jointly held card typically isn't done
By Sally Herigstad
Dear To Her Credit,
How can I remove my husband from my Bank of America Visa
credit card that we have jointly? The bank says to close it and re-apply. We
have been married 17 years. We are getting divorced.
This was my card, and I added him to it years ago. I don't want to start over because I need the credit and credit rating. It also has a lot of mileage rewards on it. Besides, I don't make much money now, so I may not even qualify. Both my husband and I have very good credit scores with no outstanding debts. -- Teresa
Dear Teresa,
The bank has the last word on this one, I'm afraid.
If your soon-to-be ex were only an authorized user on this card, it would be easy to drop him. As a joint account holder, however, the bank is counting on both of you to pay off any debts on this card. Despite the fact that it was your card originally, they have been extending credit with two people responsible for paying it and can choose not to let one of them off the hook.
Divorce court can't help much, either. Divorce settlements commonly specify which spouse gets a credit card and the accompanying debt. But the bank is not party to the divorce, and the divorce court cannot change terms of the credit card contract. Between divorce law, contract law and a couple of ex-spouses still stinging from a recent divorce, you can see how leftover joint accounts can turn into nothing but trouble. Closing the account down and starting over starts to sound like a good idea!
You shouldn't have to lose your mileage points, however. One option, of course, is to use them before you close the account. That's what you've been saving them for, right? If you can't do that, you may be able to transfer them to your new account or gift them to family or friends. You can even donate your miles to charity, either directly to organizations like the Red Cross, or through MileDonor.com, an online connection point between charities that need mileage points and donors. Be sure to transfer or donate your miles before you close your account.
If the account has a balance, try to get it paid off with assets from the divorce. The credit card company can and will try to collect from both of you, regardless of who ran up the bill or who the divorce court said should pay it. This is true even if the account is "closed," but still has a balance.
With your good credit, you should be able to get a credit card on your own even with a reduced income level. The amount you can borrow will probably be much less than your previous limit, but that can work to your advantage. Credit cards are great payment tools. They make lousy long-term loans. A card with a low limit gives you all the advantages of plastic without the temptation to let the balance build up -- as almost everyone who has had a credit card has experienced at one time or another.
You won't lose your credit history from this card by closing it. Just as you cannot erase bad credit by closing an account, you don't lose your history of being a good customer, either. You may have less available credit, which can adversely affect your credit score, but if you keep your debt balances close to zero, this shouldn't be a huge issue.
Another thing to remember about your credit score is that it only matters when you use it; for example, when you apply for a loan or credit card, try to get into an apartment or sometimes when you apply for a job. It's not affected by your income level, and it's not a judgment of you as a person. Take your time building it up as a single person. The best way to improve a credit score is slowly and steadily over the years. Good luck, and take care of your credit!
See related: Where you live impacts debt liability in divorce
Sally Herigstad answers questions about credit every week for CreditCards.com. Herigstad is a certified public accountant, author and speaker. She also writes regularly for MSN Money, Interest.com, Bankrate.com and RedPlum.com, and has been a guest on Martha Stewart radio and other programs. You can read more about personal finance and download free budgeting worksheets at her website: www.sallyherigstad.com
To Her Credit answers a question about a debt or credit issue from a CreditCards.com reader each week. Send your question to Sally.
Published: January 27, 2012
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Source: www.creditcards.com
Ssshh! Kris Humphries' lawyers try to quiet rumoured new girlfriend Myla Sinanaj... just as she deletes Twitter and Facebook pages - Daily Mail
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Kris Humphries' lawyers desperately want the NBA player to walk into his divorce depositions at the end of June looking like a heartbroken, and very single, man.
And they are going to great lengths to keep his new rumoured girlfriend Fatima 'Myla' Sinanaj quiet about her supposed relationship with the 27-year-old basketball player, as they aim to prove that his 72-day marriage to reality TV star Kim Kardashian was indeed fraud.
According to TMZ, Humphries' lawyer reached out to Sinanaj's lawyer to negotiate a non-disclosure agreement in order to get a lockdown on any sensitive texts, emails, or other documents the 25-year-old Kardashian-lookalike has relating to their relationship.
Silent rebound: Kris Humphries' lawyer wants Fatima 'Myla' Sinanaj to sign a non-disclosure agreement, to better prove that his 72-day marriage to reality TV star Kim Kardashian was fraud
The Brooklyn Nets player is demanding millions from the 31-year-old socialite, and Kris doesn't want anything to jeopardize his case that their union should be annulled rather than granted a divorce.
His lawyers are willing to pay a price in order to get Myla's signature on a joint statement as well.
RadarOnline first reported that the six-foot-nine-inch athlete had no plans to publicly date anyone until after his divorce was finalized, but TMZ claimed that Kris has been dating Myla since January, even flying her to Miami for a romantic beach holiday last weekend.
Kim's replacement? Kris has reportedly been dating Myla since January, even flying her to Miami for a romantic beachy holiday last weekend
Secret lovers? Kris and Myla, who met at a Manhattan hotel, have apparently been meeting at various basketball games where Kris provided her and family members with courtside seats
On the down low: Myla's Twitter page, which has since been deleted, had a number of interesting posts related to Kardashian patriarch Bruce Jenner and Kim's new boyfriend rapper Kanye West
Heartbroken? Humphries' lawyers desperately want him to walk into his divorce depositions at the end of June looking like a heartbroken, and single, man
They have apparently been seeing each other regularly, meeting at various basketball games where Kris provided her and family members with courtside seats.
The pair met at a prominent five star hotel in the Big Apple, TMZ claims.
'Kris is expecting to be asked if he has a girlfriend, or has had one since Kim filed for divorce,' an insider told RadarOnline.
'Kris will answer under oath that he hasn't had a girlfriend and that he is very single. Kris doesn't care that Kim is dating Kanye West, he has truly moved on with his life.
'Kris is going to be in Minnesota for the summer getting in the best shape possible for the upcoming basketball season, end of story. Kris' primary focus has been basketball, and that is it.'
Myla's Twitter page, which has since been deleted, had a number of interesting posts related to Kardashian patriarch Bruce Jenner and Kim's new boyfriend rapper Kanye West.
'Say my name, say my name. When no one is around, you say baby I love you. Why the sudden change?' Sinanaj tweeted, quoting a Destiny's Child song.
Sinanaj also shared: 'Bruce Jenner's face scares me - it should be on the "Why not to get plastic surgery" poster.'
Kim lookalike: Myla's Middle Eastern ethnicity, long dark locks, and curvy figure have drawn comparisons to Humphries' reality star ex-wife
'[Kanye should be] bigger than taking petty shots at s**t that got nothing to do with him. Lost respect,' read another post by Myla, commenting on his new song Theraflu.
Kim began dating Kanye in April, and the pair are reportedly discussing moving in together, so Kris most likely wants to look single by comparison to his famous ex.
'Myla is very upset with Kris for not wanting an exclusive relationship,' a source told RadarOnline.
'Kris was honest with her from the beginning and it's very likely that he won't be seeing her anymore now. There are always going to be girls that are looking for their 15 minutes of fame and say they are dating Kris. It just comes along with the territory.'
Source: www.dailymail.co.uk
Suffolk/Essex: Lucky escape for pilot and passenger - East Anglian Daily Times
Lucky escape! The light aircraft which crashed on Smokey Farm, next to Nayland Airfield, Campions Hill, Nayland.
By Amie Keeley
Friday, June 8, 2012
6:00 AM
An investigation has now been launched into how the Europa fixed-wing light aircraft missed the runway.
Emergency services were called to Campions Hill in Nayland on the Essex/Suffolk border at 10am. The plane was attempting to land in nearby Nayland Airfield but continued through a field and a public footpath before it finally stopped on a driveway outside Smokey Farm.
A 35-year-old male passenger sustained a broken leg and wrist and cuts to his face while the male pilot suffered minor injuries. Both were taken to Colchester General Hospital for treatment.
The plane - built in 1999 - is registered to Andrew Fletcher, of Lowestoft, and Guy Plenderleith, of Beccles, although it is not clear if either of the men were at the controls at the time of the accident.
A nearby resident, who did not want to be named, said the passenger was trapped in the plane when she arrived at the scene.
“I heard a very loud bang which I thought it was just building work but then my husband came in and told me what had happened. I thought he was joking.
“I went to see what it was and a small plane was sat in a narrow driveway between two raised banks. The nose and the tail had completely come off from where it must have spun round and hit the sides.
“The pilot was already out but the passenger was still in the plane bleeding quite heavily.
“I rang the emergency services but they had already been called and then they all turned up. My husband moved the aircraft with our tractor so the driveway can be used again.”
Firefighters from both counties attended the scene and cleared a 50 litre fuel spillage. The East of England Air Ambulance and Suffolk Police helicopter were also called to assist.
Nayland Airfield declined to comment.
Source: www.eadt.co.uk
Ben and Kate Goldsmith call Twitter truce after online divorce spat - Daily Telegraph
But earlier this week on Twitter he branded his estranged wife’s decision to call the police to the family home “appalling” as he prepared for a lengthy divorce battle with the Rothschild heiress.
Today they issued a joint statement admitting that they should have kept their private life to themselves.
"We are both deeply saddened that our marriage has ended after nine years," the statement said.
“It is a matter of regret to us that, at a time when our emotions and those of our friends have run high, things have been said in public which should have been kept private. We accept our full share of responsibility for this.
“Contrary to what has been publicly stated, neither of us anticipates any major issues of contention to arise in the divorce, in which the interests of our children will come first.
“There will be no further comment, either directly or indirectly, from us on any aspect of our family’s private life.”
Mr Goldsmith will file for divorce on the grounds of adultery, reportedly believing there is “no way back” following what he claims was a “serious” affair as opposed to a brief fling.
He is currently on holiday in Sicily with his mother Lady Annabel. The couple’s £20 million home in Kensington, West London, has been put up for sale.
The acrimonious split has been played out on the social networking site Twitter, with Mr Goldsmith unable to contain his fury over the alleged betrayal.
Yesterday, when a supporter expressed incredulity that Mrs Goldsmith, 29, had called the police, he replied: “agree, appalling.”
As scions of two of Britain's most illustrious families, the Goldsmiths are both wealthy in their own right.
Mr Goldsmith inherited an estimated £300 million after the death of his father, who built up a £1.2 billion fortune as a food magnate and then investor. His wife inherited an £18 million fortune after the suicide of her banker father Amschel Rothschild.
A divorce will almost certainly cause further frictions within the family however, not least because Mrs Goldsmith’s sister Alice is in a relationship with her husband’s brother, Zac Goldsmith, the Tory MP.
The brothers’ sister Jemima Khan is also believed to be close to Mrs Goldsmith.
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
W. Essex Middle School chooses students of month - newjerseyhills.com
West Essex Middle School
West Essex Middle School Principal David Montgomery recognizes seventh graders Tyler Friedman, left, and Spencer Peckman
West Essex Middle School
Assistant Principal Lisa Tamburri recognizes eighth graders Ben Goodman, left, and Michelle Inga, as June’s students of the month
Posted: Friday, June 8, 2012 3:00 am
NORTH CALDWELL – Seventh graders Tyler Friedman and Spencer Peckman and eighth graders Ben Goodman and Michelle Inga have been named students of the month for June by West Essex Middle School Principal David Montgomery and Assistant Principal Lisa Tamburri.
Friedman, of North Caldwell, is described as an “excellent student who is respectful and polite to teachers and peers. She acts as a role model to her fellow students both academically and socially and is a true pleasure to be around.”
Peckman, also of North Caldwell, is called “a wonderful young man who is always doing the right thing. He is polite and respectful to everyone he comes in contact with and is a strong self advocate.” According to a press release, “He guides others to act appropriately and is considered a leader among his peers.’
Goodman, of North Caldwell, is “a conscientious eighth grader. He is an arduous worker and completes his work to the best of his ability.”
In class, a press release states, “Ben adds thoughtful comments by sharing his insights and his life experiences to our class discussions. He continues to be a respectful member of the West Essex community.”
Inga “is always doing the right thing, whether it is class work, homework or being nice to others. With her great ability in math, she generously helps others in her group. She is always pleasant and respectful.”
Every month, West Essex Middle School selects four students to be recognized and honored as the students of the month. The middle school staff bases candidates and selections on a review of the “whole” student not just the student with the best grades. Character traits such as honesty, perseverance, responsibility, integrity and leadership as well as a student’s academic qualities are included.
Honored students have their pictures displayed in the middle school display case outside of the main office and on the middle school website. Honorees are also recognized during the morning announcements and receive a certificate recognizing their accomplishment, a “Student of the Month” locker magnet and a $5 student store gift card.
Posted in News on Friday, June 8, 2012 3:00 am. | Tags:
Source: newjerseyhills.com
Goldsmith and Rothschild dynasties head for divorce - Daily Telegraph
Rothschild’s family is reported to be ''worried sick’’ about her new relationship. ''Her mother and all her family are very concerned that Kate is going off the rails,’’ another source said. ''Kate and Alice are talking, but most of the family are not on speaking terms with her at the moment. The whole situation is very sad.’’
So just how did this union descend into a debacle worthy of the Jeremy Kyle show?
Rothschild, who began her relationship with Goldsmith when she was 17, has been enjoying rather different interests of late to the family’s usual society pursuits. Her fledgling music career with Roundtable Records led to an ''increasingly nocturnal’’ lifestyle. Her husband’s fears were realised when, a friend says, he “found texts and email messages” between Rothschild and Jay Electronica, who is one of her clients. Worse still, “they were very intense messages planning sexual liaisons”. The “passionate” affair had reportedly been going on for a year. In the confrontation that followed, 31-year-old Goldsmith was arrested at the couple’s £20 million home in Kensington, on suspicion of actual bodily harm. He was said to have slapped his wife and kicked a toy at her, at which point she called the police. He was released without charge after accepting a caution, before taking their three children on holiday with his mother, Lady Annabel.
That, aside from the lawyers’ fees, could have been that, but for the couple taking to Twitter – an extraordinary act for a family that values privacy as much as the Goldsmiths do. Rothschild, 29, claimed she had been cheated on ''several times’’ and even posted a picture of the children, Iris, eight, Frankie, seven, and Isaac, four, being returned to her on a private jet, alongside a series of bitter and increasingly hysterical posts.
Goldsmith branded her behaviour ''appalling’’ and lapped up commiserating messages from the Twitterati. After reports that she had hired a PR firm to manage the crisis, he posted: ''A bit late surely? How about focusing on her devastated children?’’
Ten years ago, Goldsmith was named Britain’s most eligible bachelor by Tatler. Known as Ben-Ben by his family and born when his mother was 46, Goldsmith provided solace for Lady Annabel when her first-born son, Rupert [by first husband Mark Birley], disappeared off the coast of West Africa while swimming in 1986.
Kate comes from an equally illustrious line, her father from the Rothschild banking clan, and her mother from the reputedly cursed Guinness brewing heirs. She grew up at the family pile, Rushbrooke Hall, Bury St Edmunds and went to school at Bryanston, Dorset, where she had a reputation as a “party animal”.
It would be easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than to deem whether Goldsmith or Rothschild is richer. Goldsmith’s money is tied up in family trusts, which are so convoluted that his father boasted they could never be unravelled. When Sir James died, he left assets worth about £1.2 billion and each of his children was estimated to have received £10 million in spending money. The founder of a green investment business, Goldsmith is said to be now worth £300 million. He has invested in the concierge business quintessentially.com, set up by Ben Elliot, nephew of the Duchess of Cornwall. He also backed Marco Pierre White’s private dining club, Drones.
For her part, Rothschild shared an £18 million inheritance when her father, Amschel, killed himself in a Paris hotel room in 1996 at the age of 41. He had joined the family firm only nine years before, taking his place in what has been described as ''the closest thing to a Jewish Royal Family in exile’’. The half brother of Lord (Jacob) Rothschild, he was being groomed to take over the family bank, NM Rothschild, from his second cousin Sir Evelyn de Rothschild. He was found hanged after a business meeting, and his death, when Kate was 14, remains unexplained.
Rothschild is expected to gain custody of the couple’s children, unless her husband can prove that she is an unfit mother. The pair will divide the proceeds of the family home, bought for £5 million in June 2002, through a company registered in the British Virgin Islands.
Two days ago, Rothschild posted emotional late-night tweets: ''To all the vultures harassing and taunting me, the people calling me a whore and a bad mother, the threatening emailers and callers: I have been with my husband since I was 17, my whole life from then until now has been dedicated to him and our children. Ben in a rational mood would be the first to say that my devotion to my children is unshakeable. I am with them now, as I always am.
''Our marriage went bad a few years ago and none of you have any idea what I went through along with my husband. Then we separated for a while… anger and bitterness following that time led to a very one-sided story being released in order to shame and hurt me.
''I am not here to tell tales, I am not here for sympathy, or even to put my side across – this is a personal matter and none of your business. I am simply here to say that there is of course another side that would stop you all in your tracks, as with every break-up.’’
She added: ''I love my husband. He he is a brilliant and incredible man. We grew up together and I miss him painfully, but relationships go wrong.
''As for Jay Electronica... he saved my life in many ways and I am eternally grateful to him and hope that I can repay him by helping him, as his manager and friend.’’
In response to a flurry of criticism on the internet, she posted: ''This is the darkest time of my life; a weaker woman would be broken by your cruel, ignorant condemnations.’’
Jay Electronica, born Timothy Elpadaro Thedford and known for his sexually explicit lyrics, weighed in to post ''#LoveIsOnTheWay’’ as he returned to Britain from America, where he had been at his grandmother’s funeral.
Yesterday, in a belated attempt at dignity, Goldsmith and Rothschild issued a joint statement: “We are both deeply saddened that our marriage has ended after nine years. It is a matter of regret to us that, at a time when our emotions and those of our friends have run high, things have been said in public which should have been kept private. We accept our full share of responsibility for this. Contrary to what has been publicly stated, neither of us anticipates any major issues of contention to arise in the divorce, in which the interests of our children will come first. There will be no further comment, directly or indirectly, from us on any aspect of our family’s private life.”
Goldsmith and Rothschild have deleted many of their Twitter messages and both families appear to be battening down the hatches. Contacted yesterday, Lady Annabel said: ''I don’t want to be rude, but I don’t want to make any comment whatsoever.”
Jemima Khan responded via her BlackBerry: ''Sorry – I can’t discuss this. Hope you understand.’’
But with such public airing of dirty linen, the damage has already been done.
Additional Reporting: Martin Beckford
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
South Essex shops busy over jubilee weekend - echo-news.co.uk
South Essex shops busy over jubilee weekend
11:30am Friday 8th June 2012 in Local News
THE Queen’s Jubilee coupled with a wet Bank Holiday failed to dampen shoppers’ spirits across south Essex.
The unseasonal weather meant temperatures were below average and many people decided to stay indoors and watch the royal celebrations on TV.
However, shopping centres still enjoyed a good flow of bank holiday shoppers keen to pick up bargains.
The Eastgate shopping centre, Basildon, reported “crowds” of people over the four-day weekend, while Southend business Ravens, in Clifftown Road, attracted customers with its own jubilee event. The department store usually opens Monday to Saturday and closes on bank holidays, but it made an exception this year to celebrate 60 years of trading in the same premises.
Owner Neil Raven explained staff had written to regular customers inviting them to the store to enjoy the festivities.
He said: “We had quite a bit on and it worked quite well. We were doing champagne and cake. We had written to people and given them an incentive to come in.”
The Royals Shopping Centre, in Southend, was busy too.
Operations manager Darren Lang said: “The two bank holidays were the equivalent of a busy Sunday.
“The weather has been a bit of a problem, but I think people still came out, did their shopping and went back to watch the jubilee.”
Seafront traders didn’t fare as well.
Roger Fisher, who owns Doodahs takeaway, on Southend seafront, said: “It has been an extremely disappointing bank holiday.
“The Jubilee had an impact, but the weather had more of an effect.
“I think people looked at the weather and thought ‘we will just stop in and watch all the jubilee stuff on the telly’.
“There were quite a lot of street parties going on around the town too and obviously it had a bearing on it. A lot of those people were getting a bit damp.”
Mr Fisher had a novel idea about how to boost seafront trade in bad weather.
He said: “With Euro 2012 coming up in a couple of weeks and the Olympics this summer, we could really do with a big television screen down here.
“People could watch a bit of it and then wander off and go in the pub. It would be an added attraction, particularly when the weather is not at its best.”
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Source: www.echo-news.co.uk
Essex: Emergency services prepare for the worst - essexcountystandard.co.uk
Essex: Emergency services prepare for the worst
6:30pm Friday 8th June 2012 in Countywide news
Emergency services simulated a chemical attack on the Essex Olympic Torch Relay.
Firefighters, police and ambulance teams carried out the exercise at the county’s fire service headquarters in Kelvedon.
Assistant Divisional Officer Justin Benson-Ryal, the fire service’s Olympics coordinator, said: “The torch relay will be a fantastic spectacle but as emergency services we have been doing months of work to make sure that it will be as safe as possible, for those taking part and the many thousands of spectators who will line the route.
“Exercise Titan gave us an opportunity to test the plans we and our blue lights partners have created with a realistic scenario.
“It taught us a great deal and lessons learned from the exercise mean we are all as well prepared for the torch relay as possible.”
The Olympic flame is coming to Maldon on July 6.
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Source: www.essexcountystandard.co.uk
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East of England Ambulance Service medics provided swift, effective treatment to both patients on scene. They stabilised the more serious casualty's fractures and administered pain relief before taking him to Colchester General Hospital by land ambulance for further treatment.
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Lorna Marsh
Friday, June 8, 2012