The time after a divorce can be one of the most painful times that you will ever have to go through. Both parties generally feel sad and upset. On top of these emotions, there are typically other issues to deal with, such as finances, assets and division of property. If you have children, this can be even worse as some people feel as if they have failed their children when they get a divorce. This being said, it is always best to tackle issues of this magnitude head on and with the best interest of all parties involved at heart.
The last thing you want when all the dust has settled is to be stuck with nowhere to go and with no financial means to take care of yourself or your children. Now, thinking clearly at times of high stress can be difficult. Below is a checklist of helpful things to remember to help you navigate through this trying time.
Handling Your Finances
It is imperative that during, and most certainly, after a divorce, that you have a substantial amount of money in a secure bank account to aid in taking care of yourself and those close to you.
In most cases, spouses share a bank account. The first thing to do is to open a separate account and save money there. You want to ensure that you will be financially stable if the divorce were to go through tomorrow. You will also need a decent amount to handle the filing of any paper work for your divorce.
Be smart, plan ahead. It’s hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel, but try. Being blindsided by an empty bank account will not be good for anyone involved.
Divorce can be expensive. One way to reduce the cost of filing for an uncontested divorce is to file using online divorce papers. You can have all of your forms completed for you online and eliminate the price tag of an attorney.
Keep a Record of Everything
Make copies of all documents, files, tax information, receipts, bills and anything else that you can think of, especially if you jointly own property with your spouse.
You will need a lot of this key information when the divorce process begins. Important things, like birth certificates, bank account numbers, and social security cards are going to be needed when filling out the proper documentation. Getting everything in order now will leave room for you to come back and double check or to gather something you may have forgotten.
Be Prepared for Everything
The old adage, “it’s better to be safe than sorry” comes to mind when I talk about this particular tip. Prepare for the worst. This may include things like:
Even if you feel that your divorce is amicable and both parties are fair and level headed, you can never be too careful. Cover all your bases. If you do have children, you will need as much as you can on your side to prove that you are the better fit for the child, if you do indeed have to engage a battle for custody. The same goes for anything else that you deem to be solely yours. Be prepared to duke it out, as it were.
Take Notes
As you go through the process, a lot of things will be going through your mind on a daily basis. The best advice I can give you is to not let anything slip through the cracks. Write things down as they come to you, no matter how silly or trivial you think they might be. If you have handled the bills in the household for the entire marriage, make a note of it, something as trivial as this could be a huge factor down the road.
We hope that these tips have been beneficial to you. Divorce is never easy and nobody ever enters into matrimony expecting dissolution to be the end result. However, this is the case for a lot of spouses in the U.S today. Protect yourself and the ones you love; be prepared.