In the words of the 70’s Nazareth rock song, Love Hurts… especially if there is no prenuptial agreement. Mistresses and misdeeds have cost these celebrities plenty of their hard earned total net worth. Long marriages have the highest settlement figures attached to them with a few notable exceptions. Here is a list of the five most expensive celebrity divorces of all time.

Mel and Robyn Gibson

After 31 years and seven children together, Robyn Gibson walked away from the marriage with a $425 million settlement. Believed to be the largest celebrity divorce of all time, Gibson puts the blame for the end of this marriage squarely on himself. He fathered his eighth child with Oksana Grigorieva in 2009, the same year as his divorce.

Michael and Juanita Jordan

Rumors of secret sons and multiple mistresses plagued the Jordan marriage throughout their 17 years together. Married in a ten minute Las Vegas ceremony at the Little White Chapel in 1989, the couple entered into a post-nuptial agreement a year and a half later giving Juanita the right to one half of Jordan’s total earnings. Some private adjustment to that agreement must have been made, as the 2006 divorce settlement ended up at roughly one third of his net worth – $168 million. Jordan recently married his second wife, Yvette Prieto, in April of 2013.

Neil Diamond and Marcia Murphey

Married long before Diamond became one of the world’s leading adult contemporary recording artists (right after Barbra Streisand and Elton John), Marcia Murphey walked away with $150 million in their 1995 divorce. Murphey was his second wife and several different affairs were well publicized throughout the course of their marriage. The settlement was exactly half of his reported pre-divorce net worth of $300 million. Diamond has been quoted many times as saying that Murphey was “worth every penny”. They were married 33 years and had two children together.

Greg and Laura Norman

The 2006 divorce between golfing great, Greg Norman and his wife of 25 years, Laura Andrassy Norman, was messy. His affair with Chris Evert, Wimbleton champion and his best friend’s wife, cost him $105 million dollars. The Great White Shark has since gone on to divorce Evert and marry his reported ex-mistress, Kirsten Kutner, in 2010.

Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegren

The six year marriage between Woods and Nordegren ended in a flurry of many mistresses giving many tell-all interviews. The marriage was dissolved in their 2010 divorce which gave Nordegren a $100 million settlement. This cost to Woods does not include his lost endorsement deals or being the butt of comedians’ late night jokes for months.

Steven Spielberg and Amy Irving

Their 1985 marriage lasted four years and reportedly ended when Spielberg began dating his current wife, Kate Capshaw. Although the couple is said to have had a prenuptial agreement, it was vacated by the judge because it was written on a cocktail napkin and had no legal representation. Irving walked away with $100 million, half of Spielberg’s total worth at the time, meaning that she was essentially awarded $25 million for each year of their marriage.

Dennis Roland is a professional blogger that provides advice and information on family law and divorce law. He writes for The Harris Firm, the top divorce attorneys in Huntsville AL.

Divorce is a difficult process for everyone involved, but having the right divorce lawyer can help you to get through the process more smoothly and with then end result you had in mind. Unfortunately, most people are not acquainted with a skilled lawyer, so what is the best way to go about finding the right lawyer for you?

1. Gather Names of Several Potential Lawyers

There are few decisions you would make in life without looking at several possibilities first. This is also true for a lawyer. Start by gathering a list of potential lawyers you would like to interview. Ask for personal recommendations from friends or family, get a professional recommendation from an estate or trust lawyer and look at a professional website such as the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers.

2. Do Research on the List

Once you have a list of potential lawyers, look the lawyers up on the Internet. Go to their website, Facebook page and LinkedIn Page. In general, look for a lawyer you works for a firm that has several matrimonial lawyers and focuses solely on matrimonial law. Also look into the types of clients the lawyer typically represents. If a lawyer usually handles high-end clients, your case may not be given the time that you would like as the lawyer devotes more of his or her time to their high-paying customers.

3. Conduct Interviews

Start out by talking to the lawyer on the phone. Find out what the rate for the lawyer will be. Doing this can save you a lot of time if a lawyer is out of your budget range. In addition, if a lawyer takes a long time to return your phone call, this may be a sign to look elsewhere. For the lawyers that pass the initial phone interview, set up a time to meet. During the interview you should discuss the basics of your case and get an idea of the lawyers thoughts on the case and how they would handle it. A few red flags to look out for are a lawyer who makes big promises or guarantees right of the bat, seems careless with confidential information, fails to give you his or her full attention by constantly checking their phone or email or proposes shady tactics.

4. Get a Tour of the Office

Lawyers can control the information and impression you get of a firm by holding interviews in a single conference room. To get a better idea of what the firm is like, ask to get a tour of the firm. By doing this you can see how many employees they are, whether the office is permanent and well-established and get a feel for the attitude of other employees.

5. Make a Decision

Once all of the interviews and tours are done, it’s time to make a decision. By this time the decision you make will be based more on your intuition than a calculated process. Go with the lawyer who has the expertise you need but also makes you feel comfortable and good about your decision. Remember, divorce involves the intimate details of your life, so you will need to select someone you are comfortable sharing those details with.

Nicole Vett is a professional blogger that provides news and information for divorce, child support and child custody procedures. He writes for Martin Sir and Associates, known to have to top child support attorney in Nashville TN and the best divorce lawyer in Nashville TN.

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We’ve seen it happen. Parents get a divorce, and the children spiral downward. Their grades start to fail. They act up at home and at school. They may even turn to alcohol or drugs as an escape or coping mechanism. What can parents do to help their children through this difficult time? Here are a few suggestions.

Acknowledge Their Struggles

First and foremost, acknowledge the fact that your child began suffering emotionally before the divorce began. Kids aren’t stupid. They could see what was happening to their family. Recognizing that there is already damage there can help parents to be understanding of their children.

Spend Quality Time With Them

Spend time with your child. Unless the divorce is over a situation that causes a danger to the child, they need to understand that both of their parents still love them and can be a part of their life. They need to know that they won’t have to choose between the two of you. And they need you not to play them off of the other parent. Using a child as a bargaining chip will make them fell unloved. Using them as a confidant is too much emotional pressure regardless of how mature they may seem.

Don’t Argue in Front of Them

Try not to argue in front of the kids. Divorces rarely go smoothly, but the disagreements can happen in private. Try using the phone instead of discussing things while picking up or dropping off the kids, that way if an argument does develop, it can be kept away from the children’s ears.

Help Them by Helping Yourself, Too

Find someone to talk to who can support you emotionally. If you have that, not only will you not put that burden on you child, but you can also have to the energy to care for their emotional needs. Maintain an open dialogue. Make sure they feel comfortable telling you that think what is happening sucks and why. Even if they are mad at you, while it can be tough to hear, let them know they can get it out, and you will try to help them understand why things are happening the way that they are.

Seek Professional Help if Necessary

If you can’t provide extra help with school work, look into hiring someone who can. Also, don’t be too ashamed to get your children some therapy sessions if the emotions they express seem to require professional assistance. In the end, the amount of damage a divorce does to a child is often related to how much damage prevention the splitting couple is able to provide.

About the Author

Julie Scott can help you with your Minnesota divorce and put you in contact with the best Minnesota law firm to handle your case.

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Divorce is a big change; that almost goes without saying.

While there are certain dysfunctions that seemingly must be present antecedents, a person’s existing structure and balance in life is coming to an end and a new balance must be achieved. The effects of divorce depend on a multitude of factors. Some of those factors include: the cause of divorce, the level of tension at home, age of partners, age of children, are there any children in the relationship, financial position, health-related issues, family ties and other forms of social support, etc. Personal attributes and traits are also important to consider as they greatly influence the subjective experience and coping strategies available for the individual.

Given all of the mitigating factors, it can be practically impossible to summarize the effects that are characteristic for everyone who has a divorce or must face the consequences of a divorce. However, there are some common elements that contribute to the effects of divorce on women that should be considered.

Divorce as a Change

If we consider divorce as a change, it is burdensome. It brings something new, something unknown, the process itself is usually not easy and while the discontinuation of a dysfunctional unit opens up new possibilities and ways the rebuild the self and self-esteem, it is also clear that some ties cannot be severed (for example if the couple has children.) Divorce might be formidable, but for every other married couple it is also inevitable.

Two-third of marital dissolutions are initiated by women. They seem to be more determined to end a dysfunctional marriage and say the final word. Although divorce usually ends a tense, strained and unhappy relationship, the sudden liberty coming with divorce brings little relief in many cases. Divorced individuals have higher rates of health-related problems, e. g. cardiovascular diseases, emotional disturbances, depression or hostile feelings toward other people or simply higher chance to have an accident (and die in it).

The Resilience of Women

Women are thought to have an innate natural resilience and unique ways of coping with the effects of divorce. They use their linguistic and cultural context as an agent to reconstruct themselves. (van Schalkwyk, 2005) The use of language or choice of words can make a difference in the social status of women. The word “divorced” has negative connotations and is value-loaded. Van Schalkwyk (2005) suggests the term “single again” instead of divorced, because it refers to regaining a position which the woman occupied before marriage and this earlier state is not negatively constructed.

Williams and Kurina (2002) warn against painting too rosy of a picture, too. The percentage of divorced women rapidly rose through the last 30 years, and the percentage of single mothers as well. It is a commonality that, in most cases, the children stay with the mother; therefore the demands of child-rearing on their own can easily take its toll on single mothers, affecting health and general well-being. Moreover, divorce negatively influences the financial situation of women, which also contributes to stress.

How Do Effects Stack Up?

Couch et al (2011) also highlight the effect of change in marital status on the economic well-being of women. Research results continuously find economic decline for women following marital dissolution. Divorced women usually have a lower self-esteem, and they also undergo a significant amount of strain. The amount of the emotional strain is higher when the divorce affects older women.

In a 2004 report for AARP (PDF), Montenegro agrees with the notion that divorce at a later stage of life causes more emotional stress. Divorce was considered more emotionally devastating than the loss of job, equal to experiencing a major illness and almost as bad as the death of the spouse. Women report the concern about the children as one of the main problems after divorce. Divorce represents a financial risk for women, but despite this fact, they are still more likely to initiate it, as stated earlier. Women have higher levels of stress and are more likely to have depression following divorce. Divorce has a detrimental effect on the sex life of women as well with 77% of unmarried women over 40 indicating that they do not engage in sexual intercourse at all.

Long-Term Effects of Divorce on Women

When considering the long-term effect of divorce on women’s well being and health, Lorenz et al (2006) observe that divorced women had higher levels of psychological distress immediately after divorce, but no differences in physical illness compared to a sample of married women. However, a decade later, the level of physical illness was significantly higher in the divorced group. They had more stressful life events and also showed higher levels of depression compared to the married sample.

Remarriage Effects on Women After Divorce

Remarriage can act as a potential buffer against economic decline for women, and also contribute to well-being, according to Couch et al (2011). Montenegro (2004) also stresses the importance of remarriage regarding well-being. It is obvious that remarriage can represent a protective factor only in the case when the new marriage is better than the previous one. The process of reintegration after disintegration requires personality characteristics, but cannot be successful without the appropriate environment as well, and this is particularly true for women.

So what do you think? If you’re a divorced woman, how have you been impacted by your experiences? Did you ultimately remarry? Was your remarriage successful? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

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Let’s not mince words; divorce sucks. But what almost sucks worst than divorce is the cost associated with getting a divorce.

While divorce levels may no longer shock us, the costs associated with divorcing may. According to the informational site, About.com, the average cost of divorce in the US is around $15,000. Let that sink in for a minute – that’s almost the cost of a vehicle! If you have an especially messy divorce the costs can climb even higher than that.

DIY Divorce for £69.00 (Around $100 USD)

DIY is all the rage these days, especially given the state of the global economy. We’re all doing a little bit more ourselves and trying to find a way to cut costs. It seems one UK company has found a way to relate that DIY trend into domestic divorces. While the solution may not apply in contested divorces, if the divorce is uncontested, online divorce can be a potentially affordable solution to end the marriage.

If you think divorce is complicated, Divorce-Online.co.uk can make it all simple, affordable, and successful for you. The leading uncontested divorce service in the UK provides simple yet effective ways to get divorced.

Do-It-Yourself or Have Someone Manage Your Divorce

Online Legal Services Ltd, one of the only Internet-based divorce service providers to offer professional indemnity insurance, offers an incomparable service to its clients by making sure that the divorce is granted within 14 weeks. There are two options that parties can choose: DIY divorce or managed divorce.

In DIY divorce, the interested party orders the official divorce forms. Everything that you need to know about the online process of divorce is included in the package. Answer the questions, make sure that the forms are error-free, and follow the instructions as provided. If you have questions, you can easily access by phone or e-mail experienced advisers of the company. Clients would hardly find it necessary to seek online assistance since the instructions and the DIY tools are very efficient and easy to use. Since 1999, this UK Company has helped more than 100,000 couples attain their DIY divorce. This only goes to show that its DIY divorce service is fairly simple. More importantly, it provides insurance protection to its clients and the company is proud for being the only online service with insurance.

Meanwhile, Divorce-Online can also do the work for you through its managed divorce service. Instead of you filling up the documents, the team will be the one to complete your documents and file them to the court. The team of experts will take care of everything. You won’t have to attend any court hearing. More importantly, you will be updated of any developments 24/7, thanks to its highly developed secured online case tracking. The company has over 13 years of online experience, one thing that sets it apart from its competition. In fact, it is highly recommended by BBC Breakfast, Radio 1, Tesco, The Daily Mail, The Good Web, The Mirror, and many others.

100,000+ Served Since 1999

I would have thought that divorcing online would have been a relatively new phenomenon, but that’s not the case. Online Legal Services has been around for over a decade and has helped over 100,000 people since their founding in 1999. Getting a divorce through the Internet is surprisingly an easy process – with the right documentation and a little guidance. Instead of hiring the services of a solicitor, this leading UK online service provider substitutes as your attorney by asking you the same questions that a solicitor may ask, without having to cost you as much.

One of the factors that you should consider when searching for an internet-based divorce company is its expertise and history. The company’s success rate is one indication that it knows what it is doing. In addition, the company’s composition says a lot about its competency. Quick divorce companies should have a team of experts in legal proceedings since they are dealing with a legal matter, which is the divorce. The last thing that you would want is for your divorce to be denied or delayed because of some error in paperwork due to incompetent people who are handling your case.

Divorce-Online.co.uk has a team of legal experts that dedicate themselves to providing accurate and up-to-date services for their clients. The company’s founder and CEO has been a practicing family law solicitor for more than 20 years, while the company itself is a corporate member of the Institute of Paralegals, proofs that it is an expert in its field. In Europe, it is the first of its kind and since it was established, the UK’s largest and oldest divorce service has helped thousands of clients to achieve a quick and cost-effective divorce for a fraction of the price of a regular divorce proceeding.

If you have been married for more than 12 months, either you or your partner has been living or once lived in England, and you want to end your marriage on adultery, behavior grounds, or separation grounds, then you can get an online divorce through Divorce-Online.