Ben and Heather are joined by Craig Budden from Aussie Home Loans in Coffs Harbour to discuss the tricky business of getting finance after separation.

Topic covered include:

• The major challenges in getting finance post-separation
• Credit scores: what are they and how can divorce impact on your score
• How to rebuild your credit score if it takes a hit after separation
• Do banks count child support or spousal maintenance when calculating your income?
• Buying a new property if your name is still on a joint mortgage for the family home
• Removing your ex's name from the joint mortgage if they stop making payments
• What banks look for if you want to buy out your ex's share of the family home
• Is it possible and/or reasonable to maintain a joint mortgage after separation?
• Options for single parents seeking a home loan
• The Family Home Guarantee scheme - what is it and who's eligible?
• Top tips from Craig, Ben & Heather when seeking finance after separation

Ben and Heather talk about the contributions to a marriage that can be factored into a property settlement, focusing on the non-financial contributions which can easily be missed. Together they discuss the following:

• The legal definition of "contributions"
• Step-children - parenting and paying for other people's children
• Stay-at-home parents
• Putting a partner through education
• Living rent-free with the in-laws
• How to ensure that all your contributions are considered in the property settlement

Ben and Heather are joined by Klaudia Gebert, psychologist and founder of Self Reflection, to talk about transitioning to a single person after separation. Topics discussed include:

• Grieving the loss of your marriage/relationship
• Overcoming loneliness
• What people with multiple separations may be doing wrong
• Regaining purpose after separation
• Where to look for support with reinventing yourself
• Casual dating after separation
• Finding love again after separation

Ben and Heather speak to the Practice Specialist (Counselling) at Relationships Australia NSW about how to know if your relationship is salvageable. Sandra is a psychologist with a Masters in Couple and Family Therapy and years of experience in relationship counselling. She helps tease out answers to the following questions.

1. If someone has started thinking about separation but hasn't yet spoken to their partner, what's the first thing they should do?
2. What sorts of questions should someone ask themselves if trying to decide whether their relationship is worth saving?
3. How can a psychologist or counsellor help in making the right decision?
4. What are the signs that a relationship is really over?
5. What are the signs it's worth trying again?
6. If the relationship is worth saving, what should I be doing?

Sandra also considers 3 different scenarios and provides her thoughts on whether the relationship can move forward under these circumstances.

The Family Law Amendment Act 2023 was passed through parliament in October 2023 and took effect on 6 May 2024. The Act involves changes to how the Courts will make parenting orders in the "best interest of the child" and challenges the assumption of week-on week-off parenting post-separation.

In this episode, Ben and Heather discuss (and sometimes debate) the need for and impact of the changes.

Ben and Heather have their eighth session answering questions from the Coffs Coast community - and there were some good ones this time. Here are the topics covered:

1. Can I get divorced in Australia if I married in another country?
2. When does a de facto relationship (same-sex or heterosexual) begin from a legal perspective?
3. Does the Family Court ever award costs to one partner if the other is being unreasonable?
4. How will an expected inheritance be treated in the property settlement?
5. Can my ex-partner prevent me from finding a good family lawyer by lawyer-shopping?
6. Can I get financing for a family law court case?
7. What happens when you can't agree on schooling for the kids?
8. How can you prevent your ex from showing up at the family home unannounced?

While the overall divorce rate in Australia is declining, there is an upward trend in divorce in couples over 50. Ben and Heather talk about this phenomenon on this podcast and some of the unique complications that arise when calling quits on a long term relationship.

Topics covered include:

1. Why the divorce rate is rising for older Australians.
2. Dividing assets at the end of a long term relationship, including
3. How the Court deals with health discrepancies.
4. Advice for women to ensure their retirement needs are met.
5. Child support for adult children.
6. The value (or otherwise) of a pre-nuptial agreement when re-partnering.

Ben and Heather welcome special guest forensic psychologist Dr Robert Simon from San Diego California to talk about resist/refuse behaviour in children, including the heated subject of parental alienation. Dr Simon is a specialist in child custody matters in the United States and is renowned for his expertise in parent/child contact problems. He provides an excellent overview of the most common reasons for resist/refuse behaviour, and makes it clear that parental alienation is not the most common cause.

Topics discussed include:

1. The difference between a clinical and forensic psychologist.
2. The three main reasons for parent/child contact problems:
3. The impact of wrongfully identifying the nature of parent/child contact problems.
4. The Australian Family Law Court's approach to parent/child contact problems.