Tools & Tips

You and Your Young Adult Child — A Review

Any parent of a 20-something knows how difficult it can be sometimes to parent a young adult child. Common dilemmas include how involved to be, and how much autonomy to ...

The LOVE Prescription — A Review

Over the years I’ve been reading almost everything John and Julie Schwartz Gottman have written about relationships. They’re known as the leading relationship scientists because they apply scientific methods to better understand what ...

Keep Moving: Notes on Loss, Creativity and Change — A Review

After her divorce, Maggie Smith took to the internet to post some inspirational quotes. People loved them. So she put together a book on the topic. In Keep Moving: Notes on ...

The 5 Love Languages — A Review

Committed partners often say they wish they could read their partner's minds. "What does s/he want from me?"  The 5 Love Languages offers hope. In this easy read, Gary Chapman ...

Social Media Gives New Meaning to Emotional Contagion

Can we ‘catch’ emotions from others? Elaine Hatfield, author of the acclaimed book Emotional Contagion, first published in 1994, said yes — and many others have come to agree. The ...

New Uses for 529 Savings Accounts

A 529 account is a great way to save for education expenses. In a nutshell, once you set aside money in a 529, all earnings — think dividends, interest, investment ...

Millennials Causing Declining Divorce Rates

Millennials have found a new way to do things differently from their Baby Boomer parents. It turns out that they divorce at a much lower rate, according to a University ...

Revised Court Orders in Divorce

Connecticut’s Automatic Orders go into effect when a divorce is first filed. In a nutshell, the orders create a ‘standstill’ by prohibiting divorcing parties from doing anything out of the ...

How to Talk so Kids Will Listen & Listen so Kids Will Talk

For years, I have recommended the book How to Talk so Kids Will Listen & How to Listen so Kids Will Talk, and still do today. First published in 1980, ...

When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times

In life everyone experiences uncertainty. And for many, divorce is one of those times. Pema Chödrön is one of my favorite authors about meditation, mindfulness and Buddhist thinking. In When ...

Mom’s House, Dad’s House for Kids

An excellent resource for kids going through divorce is Isolina Ricci’s Mom’s House, Dad’s House for Kids. Ricci also wrote the iconic book, Mom’s House, Dad’s House. I keep multiple ...

Divorce Source Radio Podcast

I'm always looking for new resources, and have recently found the Divorce Source Radio podcast. I recommend it as a resource for clients and practitioners alike. This podcast offers really ...

EY Tax Guide 2014

When I need a quick answer to a fairly routine tax question, my go-to resource is the EY Tax Guide 2014, published by the accounting/consulting firm Ernst & Young. This inexpensive and easy to read ...

Our Family Wizard

There are many apps to help divorced parents keep track of parenting plans, children’s activities and other key information. Clients say most work well. I especially like Our Family Wizard. ...

Building A Parenting Agreement that Works

I love Nolo Press. They do a great job of demystifying the law for laypeople through their publications and website. One of their many good books is Building A Parenting Agreement that Works, now ...

The Care & Keeping of You: The Body Book for Girls

Anyone with a young daughter is all-too-familiar with the gold mine called the ‘American Girl’ franchise. Recently, I came across a book published under this flagship called The Care & ...

The Custody Solutions Sourcebook

One book in my office lending library which seems to be very helpful to clients is The Custody Solutions Sourcebook by Jann Blackstone-Ford. I recommend it for all family practitioners, whether lawyers, therapists, or others, ...

The Intelligent Divorce

My office has for years maintained a fairly large lending library for clients. Often, we add books and videos to our collection on the suggestion of clients. Recently, a client suggested that I add ...

Retirement Calculator

With the disappearance of the old-school defined benefit pension plan and Social Security looking less secure, retirement planning is a priority for almost everyone. I’ve found an excellent and free retirement income calculator at moneycentral.msn.com (go ...