FLTC: Soldering Up

[Reincarnated]

I will always marvel at how early you get up! What time is bed for you?

Hope you got a lot out of your weekend, and it was good that you got to see D18.

Good plan about the gym.

I will be thinking about you today....remember that this is business.

[FLTC]

Mattie,

Thanks. I HATE these days. All I want is for it to END! Donna, I get up at 440. I can't sleep very well anyway. Iraq + Divorce=Bad Sleep.

I told a friend of mine today that we had plunked down !) grand for mediatiaon. He stated "Just imagine what that money could have done for your kids instead of diusoolving the marriage"

So true.

[FLTC]

Mediation in 1/2 hour. I'm nauseous. Ughhhhhhh!

[Matilda2]

Hopefully you are better now that it's over (until next time, anyway!)

[Reincarnated]

F, I hope you have someone to talk to in real time....its been 6 hours since your meeting, and I hope that you aren't still at the gym!

You are still not sleeping well? That is going to make everything feel worse...I thought the exercise was helping you with that. I have some corny steps that might help; if I remember right, you are not happy with the idea of trying a sleep aid.

Did you see in the news today that they are recognizing an Iraqi Combat condition? I wouldn't be surprised if you have PTSD, times 2.

I hope that you know you are thought about often...

[MichelleLT]

Hope mediation wasn't more brutal than expected.

Sleep well tonight.

[FLTC]

Well, came out of mediation feeling OK. Mediator proposed STBX keeps the house and I keep my pension. In addition, I have to pay $3000 per month alimony and child support. I'm OK with that. In addition, STBX has squirreled 112K away. Interesting.

Well, STBX sent an email to me how she can't possibly make it on 104K per year with D18's tuition at 24K, Federal Tax at 28K, Mortgage being 25K, daughter 16's eating disorder treatment at 24K.

Simplsitic math, no? Mortgage interest is all deductible, D16 will not have 24K medical costs forever. D18 might have to be told to come home to a state school in CT (Tough sh*t...welcome to Divorce)and does anyone really PAY 28% tax?

Any accountants out there?

[kml]

Not an accountant, but both my parents were CPAs.

You're right, the mortgage interest is deductible. Also, I believe some of the medical bills will be deductible as well (medical expenses beyond a certain percentage of your income are deductible).

So no, she won't pay 28k federal tax.

That being said - is your $3,000 in child support and alimony in lieu of having to pay anything for D16's treatment? Because eating disorder treatment can be hideously expensive, bankrupting families.

Ellie

[FLTC]

Ellie,

There was no mention of that. If it comes to that, I'm willing to do what I can, but to just pull a $24K figure out of the air is beyond me.

In her last email, she ended it with "as the childrens' father, I'd assume you would put their health and best interest first"

I really want to respond "don't go down that road with me"

[MichelleLT]

Wow. She's really trying to pile on the guilt isn't she?

The numbers coming out of your mediation just boggle my mind.

Even though my parents stayed together, their combined income was less than 104k a year, and they managed somehow. LOL

I've never even broken 30k a year (in taxable income at least ) and somehow I manage just fine.

Sheesh. LOL