Anderson Boback & Marshall

09/23/2026

When one spouse is self-employed or owns a business, income may come through salary, draws, distributions, bonuses, or other business-related payments. That can make financial questions in divorce more complicated than simply looking at one pay stub.

For support and financial planning, the bigger picture matters: how money moves through the business, what is personal versus business-related, and whether the reported income reflects the person’s actual financial circumstances.

This is where careful documentation becomes strategy, not paperwork.

Before you make assumptions about what either spouse “earns,” make sure the numbers are telling the whole story.

If business income is part of your divorce, bring the full financial picture into the conversation. ABM can help you identify the questions worth asking.

09/22/2026

“I don’t want to become responsible for debt I didn’t create.”

A prenuptial agreement is not only about protecting assets. It can also create clarity around debt.

An Illinois prenup may address student loans, credit cards, tax obligations, business liabilities, and other debts brought into the marriage. It may also clarify how future debt will be handled and whether marital income can be used to repay one partner’s existing obligations.

The goal is not to assume someone will be financially irresponsible. It is to make sure both people understand:

What is owed?
Whose name is on each account?
How will payments be handled?
What happens if the marriage ends?

Full financial disclosure is an important part of that conversation.

A prenup can establish responsibility between spouses, but it does not erase debt or automatically change a creditor’s rights against someone named on an account.

Before discussing what each person owns, discuss what each person owes. Anderson Boback & Marshall can help you approach that conversation with clarity and a strategy tailored to your circumstances.

09/22/2026

Let me start with some crucial advice: If a court orders you to do something, you need to comply with a court order in Illinois, whether you agree with the order or not. Ignoring it could result in serious consequences, such as fines, wage garnishment, or even jail time. If you believe an order is unlawful or unfair, Illinois law provides options to change or challenge it.

The Illinois Code of Civil Procedure offers several ways to address a court order you disagree with. These remedies are nuanced and depend heavily on the details of your case. Consulting an experienced family law attorney can help you understand your options and increase your chances of success.

In this article, I’ll walk you through three key options for addressing a court order you cannot comply with. You may be able to file a motion to modify the order. You can also request that the court reconsider its ruling. In some cases, you may have grounds to appeal the decision.

Let me start with some crucial advice: If a court orders you to do something, you need to comply with a court order in Illinois, whether you agree with the orde

09/21/2026

For many couples, the marital home is the most valuable asset they acquire during their marriage. Besides its financial worth, the home often holds significant emotional value as the place where you raise your family and make memories. Deciding what to do with the family home during a divorce presents one of the most challenging aspects. Couples need to carefully assess their post-divorce financial situations and understand all available options and their potential consequences.

In this blog, we will explore key considerations for high-net-worth couples when dividing the family home in an Illinois divorce.
Who Owns the Family House?
When deciding what to do with the marital home, both spouses must clearly understand their rights to the home and its equity.

For a home to be considered “marital”, and subject to division of equity, the home must have been:

- Purchased and titled jointly during the marriage; or
- Retitled into both parties’ names after the marriage.

For many couples, the marital home is the most valuable asset they acquire during their marriage. Besides its financial worth, the home often holds significa

09/18/2026

If you are considering a prenuptial agreement, you are probably not looking for a broad definition. You want to know whether it can protect the business you built, the inheritance your family expects to pass down, the retirement you have already earned, the home you owned before marriage, or the financial structure you want in place if the marriage ends. You also want to make those decisions while you are still in love and fully happy with your partner.

Illinois law gives you room to make many of those decisions in advance. It does not let you decide everything. Some subjects fit squarely inside a premarital agreement, and some do not belong there at all. Others fall into a middle category where the answer depends on the asset, the wording, and whether another body of law also controls the issue.

This guide is built around that real question. It is not a general overview of prenups.

If you are considering a prenuptial agreement, you are probably not looking for a broad definition. You want to know whether it can protect the business you bui

09/18/2026

When two people with substantial assets decide to marry, a prenuptial agreement is one of the most thoughtful conversations they can have together. It is a chance to talk openly about money, about the life you are building, and about how each of you wants to protect the other. For high-income and high net worth couples, that conversation carries real weight, because the balance sheet is often more complicated than a standard template can handle.

At these levels, wealth is frequently tied to stock options, restricted stock units, deferred compensation, carried interest, and founder equity. A thoughtfully drafted prenup can address each of these in advance, which is why an experienced Chicago prenuptial agreement practice handles this kind of work differently than a standard template.

If you are looking for a broader introduction to how these agreements work in Illinois, our Illinois prenuptial agreement guide covers the basics.

When two people with substantial assets decide to marry, a prenuptial agreement is one of the most thoughtful conversations they can have together. It is a chan

09/17/2026

From our experience as Chicago family law attorneys, prenuptial agreements between or involving millennials look different than prenuptial agreements from earlier generations. Millennials tend to focus closely on risk versus reward, and they are marrying later in life, which means they bring more of everything into the marriage, including both assets and debt.

What has changed since this article was first written is the asset picture itself. Millennials are now in their early thirties to mid-forties, well into their careers or in many cases, second careers, and the issues they bring into marriage are more complex than student loans and starter apartments. Equity compensation, cryptocurrency, vested retirement accounts, and home ownership are now common parts of a millennial couple's balance sheet before the wedding.

From our experience as Chicago family law attorneys, millennial prenuptial agreements tend to look a little different than prenuptial agreements from earlier ge

09/17/2026

“We meant to sign a prenup, but the wedding already happened. Is it too late?”

Not necessarily. The right agreement depends on where you are now.

A prenuptial agreement is signed before marriage. A postnuptial agreement is signed after the wedding, when finances, ownership interests, and responsibilities may already have changed or become intertwined.

Both agreements may address important financial concerns, including:

• Property rights
• Existing and future debt
• Business ownership
• Inheritances and family wealth
• Spousal maintenance expectations
• Separate versus marital property

But timing matters. A postnup cannot recreate the financial circumstances that existed before marriage. If assets have already been combined, a business has grown, or one spouse has changed career roles, the agreement must reflect the marriage as it exists today.

Neither agreement can predetermine child custody, parenting time, or a child’s right to support.

Read our latest blog to understand the difference between a prenuptial and postnuptial agreement in Illinois, and which may fit your current circumstances:

https://illinoislawforyou.com/blog/prenuptial-vs-postnuptial-agreement-illinois/

Contact Anderson Boback & Marshall to speak with an experienced Chicago family law attorney.

09/17/2026

When divorce becomes a real possibility, protecting your finances feels urgent. The impulse to move money, close accounts, or shield assets is understandable. In Illinois, acting on that impulse before you file, even with good intentions, can damage attempts for settlement and your credibility with the court.

Illinois law does not wait for a divorce petition before it starts scrutinizing financial decisions. Once a marriage begins breaking down, significant money moves, including attempts to move assets somewhere your spouse cannot reach them, can be examined by a judge and factored into the division of the marital estate. Understanding where the legal line falls before you act is not just prudent. It is essential.

Key Takeaways

- Marital money belongs to both spouses under Illinois law, even if only one person earns or manages it.
- Withdrawing, hiding, or spending marital funds before filing can shift your divorce settlement against you.

When divorce becomes a real possibility, protecting your finances feels urgent. The impulse to move money, close accounts, or shield assets is understandable. I

09/16/2026

A prenup is not only about what happens if a marriage ends.

It can create financial clarity before the marriage begins.

A thoughtfully drafted Illinois prenuptial agreement may address:

• Separate and marital property
• Real estate and business interests
• Investments and retirement accounts
• Inheritances and estate-planning rights
• Responsibility for existing or future debt
• Spousal maintenance

It can also establish how certain assets, income, or financial contributions will be treated during the marriage.

What can’t it decide? Parental responsibilities, parenting time, or child support. Those matters are determined under Illinois law based on the child’s best interests when the issue arises.

The purpose of a prenup is not to plan for divorce. It is to replace uncertainty with honest conversations, informed decisions, and terms designed around the life you are building together.

If you are considering a prenuptial agreement, Anderson Boback & Marshall can help you understand what it may, and may not, address.