The “D” word is a scary one. However, when contemplating a divorce whether it be because you are unhappy or your spouse has told you that he or she is, you cannot simply hide your head in the sand. Such a reaction can have really, really bad consequences. What you need is the knowledge of how you can get through this process. You, of course, should contact a knowledgeable attorney to discuss everything, but here are some things you can do right now.
What should I bring to my attorney?
First things first, you should try and assemble all of the information your attorney will need in order to represent you. What does this mean? Well, start gathering the following and remember this is not a finite list, there may be more items you can add:
- Bank account balances;
- Investment account balances;
- Inventory of any stocks, bonds, mutual funds;
- Value of any personal property
- Value of any real property that is owned, including vacation property;
- Balance of any mortgages or home equity loans;
- Values of any vehicles, boats, etc.;
- Balances of any loans against any vehicles, boats, etc.;
- Balances of any credit cards and any other debts;
- Retirement account information;
- Monthly expenses, which includes home and transportation costs as well las monthly personal expenses for the family;
- If either party owns a business, bring in information to the attorney to help determine its value;
- Information about each party’s earning history and capacity;
- Any pre-marital agreements.
How do I become better prepared?
Aside from gathering the items in the above list you can also take action to be better prepared when you decide to move forward:
- Become educated on how the divorce process works by going to an attorney for a consultation;
- Start saving your own funds;
- Have a game plan as to what you want from the divorce;
- Remember that everything you post on social media is fair game during the divorce process so you may want to take a break;
- If there are children involved start thinking about parenting time and custody;
- When you talk to an attorney be honest;
- Keep an open mind.
If you are in the initial stage of “just thinking about a divorce” you should speak to an attorney. The divorce process can be overwhelming. There are many court forms that have to be completed, court appearances and a specific process in order to ask the judge to do something in your case. You can certainly get a better picture of how this process works by setting up an initial consultation with a divorce attorney. The initial consultation will be informative and comforting. You will at least have your questions answered and be armed with the information that will help you if you do decide to move forward.
Remember, knowledge is power.
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