Though getting divorced can be a positive life change, it is one of the most emotional and stressful ordeals a person can go through. It feels like someone you loved dearly has died, and their slightly petty, erratically cruel but sometimes nostalgic ghost is haunting you, mostly through random texts and social media. It utterly blows, and feeding oneself during the process can be a for-real struggle.

Whether it's a former roommate, an ex-partner, a friend, or some random partygoer whose name you've forgotten, someone is going to leave stuff at your home at some point. But hold on there, pal, that property isn't automatically yours now. Here's what you should do with it, according to common law.

Getting married is one of the biggest life decisions you'll ever make - especially if you're determined to stick it out through thick and thin. According to relationship psychologist and author Eli Finkel, it's important to assess long-term compatibility before tying the knot. These are the questions you should be asking.

Elliot Polland has been practicing divorce law since 1968, and he's seen it all, from lovers' quarrels to full-blown implosions of people who wish they'd never said "I do."

We asked Polland to share the most common pitfalls he sees couples experience — and how to avoid them.

On Slate's parenting podcast "Mum and Dad Are Fighting", the hosts debated a tough question: After a divorce, should you spend time together as a family if a child requests it?

It's a fact that many marriages end in divorce. There are all sorts of reasons for this and the process, even in a "conscious uncoupling" where both parties agree to remain on friendly terms, there is a lot of pain and heartache. Some social commentators point to the ease of divorce being the reason so many marriages breakdown. But how do you get divorced?

Video: Our inaugural Livehacker event saw three expert speakers share their perspectives on the question "How should a man be?"

As a society, we tend to look at breakups and divorce as a failure. But a relationship ending doesn't mean it wasn't successful in some way. Sometimes a fling is ideal for both parties, sometimes a long marriage ending is the only chance for a new beginning, and every relationship teaches you something you didn't know before.

James J. Sexton is a divorce lawyer and the author of If You're in My Office, It's Already Too Late, a guide in which he dispenses the relationship wisdom he's gained from listening to more than 1000 divorcing clients.

His advice for parents who are married is unconventional, but it might just help you preserve your union and your sanity.

James J. Sexton is a divorce lawyer who has spent his career working with couples whose marriages are dissolving. He's learned a lot throughout the years about what sours a good marriage (or ends a relationship that's already in trouble), and now he's using that knowledge to help the rest of us. His new book is If You're In My Office It's Already Too Late: A Divorce Lawyer's Guide to Staying Together.

When you're divorced, a new school year for your kids means a lot of communication with your ex, and that may, in a word, suck. But as one mother who's been there writes, there's a cardinal rule of parenthood and that is: It's hard and not really about you.

Statistician Nathan Yau recently examined data from the US Census Bureau's 5-Year American Community Survey from 2015 and calculated which professions have the highest and lowest divorce rates. Want a stable marriage? Marry an actuary, a field that has a 17 per cent divorce rate. Gaming managers and bartenders have a less-terrific marital track record, however, at almost 53 per cent and 52 per cent, respectively.

As complex as dating can be (um, very), when you add children to the equation, the confusion, emotions and potential heartache increase about a hundredfold. If your boyfriend or girlfriend has a kid, you're not only navigating a new romance, you're also trying to figure out where you fit in the hierarchy of people vying for his or her attention, and how to establish a bond without overstepping your bounds.

The concept of a 'dream wedding' usually involves exotic locales, sumptuous foods, classic cars, professional photography and an overpriced designer wedding dress. Some couples throw in doves and ponies too.

According to research from Emory University in Atlanta, you'd be much better off throwing a backyard shindig instead. They found that the more you spend on your wedding, the more likely you are to get divorced. No, really.

So you've won the Powerball. You and your spouse are overjoyed. Unfortunately, money can't save your marriage and you decide to separate a few years later. Perhaps it ends bitterly. So what happens to all the money that you've won? You bought the winning lottery ticket, so can you keep all of the remaining money? Let's find out.