One of the readers of the Russia Adoption Blog recently took me to task for saying that a good agency collects the bulk of its fees for an adoption near the end of the process. Why shouldn't an adoption agency be treated like any other professional services firm, this poster wondered? Why shouldn't it be paid ongoing fees?

In many ways, an adoption agency should be treated like any other professional services firm. You should thoroughly check their references and get a written fee agreement before you commit to work with them, just as you... more

Thank you, Dave Thomas.

Yes, I know the founder of Wendy's International has been dead for five years now, but the foundation that bears his name--and carries on his commitment to adoption--has just released a list that all of us can cheer: the "100 Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces".

Working with Employee Benefit News, The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption collected information from 762 companies in the United... more

In my other post on taxes, I looked at some of the potential red flags for the Internal Revenue Service when you are raising money to adopt a child from Russia.

But there are ways of coming up with money that won't cause conflict with the tax man, and I want to go over some of them now. You should go over these options--and the issues I raised in my earlier... more

It's tax time, and I'm worried. Not for me, but for some of you.

I've been trying to find a nice way of putting this, but I'm afraid I have to be blunt: Some of you are not thinking smart about the tax implications of financing your Russian adoption.

I am not an accountant, but I have labored in and around financial journalism for 20 years, and I have written and edited a fair amount of personal finance stories. And having done two adoptions, I know just how much their cost can weigh on a family budget. But there are good... more

I had really thought that the dark days of Russian adoptions were behind us. Yes, I know, this whole NGO and re-accreditation process has taken way, way, way too long. But I believed that, as it progressed, certain practices of the past had been weeded out. And then I read this thread on the Russia Adoption forum.

Folks, nobody should be bringing this... more

In the first part of this post, I looked at some of the issues that Russian and U.S. officials will want to see on your homestudy.

Most of the homestudy, however, will be devoted to answering six basic questions: Who, What, Why, Where, When and How. It can speed things along for the social worker if you jot answers to these questions down before your first meeting and print or send a copy.

By "Who", I mean talking about who you are as a person or family.... more

It happened just before Christmas. A sad tale of an American family stranded by their adoption intermediaries. This family had worked for two years to welcome a new child to their family. Now instead of building a life with that child, they are suing their former agency, alleging it did not have the proper credentials at the time they began to work with it. Nobody wants their adoption journey to end like that.

What are the proper credentials? The most important word for anybody... more

This is the kind of story I wish I read more often: What becomes of child after he or she was adopted from Russia.

It popped up in the "The Oshkosh Northwestern", thanks my trusty Google Alerts. Confession: I have never read "The Oshkosh Northwestern" before, but I did spend a few days in the charming town this past summer when I took my kids there to see the gigantic EAA AirVenture show. There... more

This morning, my colleague Theresa of the Adoptive Parenting Blog tackled the vexing issue of the cost of adoptions. Her post covered some of the issues in the United States, and I'd like to add some thoughts about Russia.

The fees, at first can seem daunting, ranging from about $19,000 at latest check to about $30,000. And these costs have been heavily criticized by some Russian politicians, who cite them as evidence that children are being "sold" to foreigners, since adoption in Russia, is free. That's right, if you were a Russian living in Russia your cost, in theory, would be zero. I say... more