A Chicago man watches all of the unrest happening in his neighborhood. He has never owned a gun before, but after hearing gunshots several nights in a row, he decides it is time to purchase a weapon to defend himself and his family. He buys a gun from a trusted friend. One day while jogging in a public park, a person approaches him and threatens to hurt him if he does not hand over his wallet right away. He pulls...

A Chicago woman is scared for her and her children after her husband threatened to kill her. Her husband has become increasingly paranoid after being laid off from his job. The more he sits at home, the more paranoid he becomes, and the more he obsesses about his wife having an affair. He tried to get into her phone to check her text messages. When he could not get past her passcode protection, he threw the phone at her and...

A Chicago woman just realized that it is time to move on from her marriage. The stress of Illinois’ stay-at-home orders has helped her realize that her husband is verbally abusive to her and her children. She is tired of him coming home drunk and screaming at her and her adolescent children. She has decided that getting a divorce could be the only good thing to come out of the last few difficult months. While she is confident in her...

A Chicago couple has been arguing nearly non-stop since the middle of April. They have barely been able to pay their mortgage as the husband has suffered drastic wage cuts due to the recent shutdown order. The husband thinks that his employer is trying to force him to quit. With the turbulent economy, he becomes panicked and anxious about losing his job. One day, his employer finally notifies him that his position has been terminated. The husband has not told...

A couple in Schaumburg recently celebrated their fifth wedding anniversary. They both accepted a promotion in their respective careers and have been working around the clock for a while now. They have not taken so much as a short weekend trip together in over two years, and they constantly argue. The wife has realized that she often seeks to provoke her husband into arguments. They both appear to be constantly testing how far they can push one another before their...

Our country is undergoing a tumultuous time both politically and economically. The pandemic has forced the United States into its worst economic recession in nearly a century. Millions of people have become unemployed. The increased financial pressure has led many couples to decide that the time has come for them to get divorced. These are the top five common financial reasons couples get divorced. Different Financial Goals Every person has unique financial priorities. Many couples assume that they are on...

A Chicago woman’s husband comes home drunk again. She realizes that he has also spent the money they needed to pay their rent on alcohol. When they first got married, she thought he was a social drinker, but over time she realized that he is an alcoholic. She now realizes that it is time to get divorced and start a new life. She is tired of wondering how they will pay the bills. She has decided that their most recent...

A Chicago couple has been married for 30 years. Their last child recently graduated from college and finally moved out of their home. They were excited to begin their lives as empty nesters, but the reality of their situation turned out much differently. They found themselves stuck at home, hanging around each other 24 hours a day without any distractions. All of the little things they do not like about each other have become glaringly apparent. The husband has realized...

A husband and wife have been fighting almost non-stop for the past few months. The husband worked to support them while his wife finished school to become a physician’s assistant. She started her career last year but still has significant student loans. The wife created a strict budget so her family could begin to pay off their debt and build savings. Unfortunately, her husband developed a gambling addiction. He recently lost his job and is now spending his days gambling...

A middle-aged couple has decided that they will need to close their family restaurant. The couple opened the restaurant soon after they got married 15 years ago. When the coronavirus shutdown began, the couple struggled to adapt to online ordering and pickup. Despite their best efforts, the couple felt they had no choice but to close the restaurant down. During the extreme economic stress, the couple began to fight non-stop. Old resentments and unresolved issues have returned to the forefront...

An Illinois mother of five recently lost her job due to the shutdowns caused by COVID-19. She is worried about how she is going to pay her rent. She only has a limited budget to spend on groceries. When she finally gets to the grocery store, she worries about being able to buy enough food for her family. A store employee comes up to her and tells her she needs to wear a mask. The mother has forgotten her mask...

A husband and wife have been sheltering in place in Illinois since mid-March. They have been spending nearly every minute together and they have realized that they need to get a divorce. During the coronavirus pandemic, all of the issues they have had throughout the last 15 years have resurfaced and life with each other has become nearly unbearable. Without the distraction of going to work, going to social events, and spending time with friends, they are faced with the...

For years, a woman has endured verbal abuse from her husband. Every time he has more than three alcoholic drinks, he becomes threatening and abusive. While he has never hit her, he slams the counters, punches walls, and screams in front of their children. Normally, she uses lunch dates with her friends to vent and get some mental relief from her husband. However, during the shelter-in-place order from the governor, she has been shut in with her husband nearly 24...

An Illinois small business owner is up against the wire. She is a nail salon owner who is worried about whether or not she can pay her rent next month. She has already used funds from the payroll protection act and is out of options. Meanwhile, Illinois has weeks left on their stay-at-home order. Some counties have begun defying the state-wide stay-at-home order by allowing businesses to reopen, in open defiance of the guidelines. All Counties Are Eligible to Move...

A young Illinois couple has been together for two years. They share one child together and have one on the way. Their relationship has seen some ups and downs. The husband served time for a drug charge, a mistake he made two years ago. Since then, he has cleaned up his act and found gainful employment. The couple was in a good place in March before the coronavirus pandemic happened. Last week, the husband lost his job at a meatpacking...