With experts suggesting that about 20% to 25% of marriages end in divorce, there is a good chance that you could end up divorced at some point. Women are two thirds more likely to file for divorce than men, so it is important to make certain precautions before signing divorce papers.
Marriage is tough when it comes to combining your life with another person, but divorce can be even harder when separating everything that you've worked so hard to combine. From kids to budgets, there is a lot to consider before you choose to leave your husband. Before heading to the court house to file for divorce, there are five things you should do beforehand.
Develop a Financial Plan
Before you start the separation process, you need to go over your finances and determine a financial strategy for your future. If you are not money savvy, you should consult a financial planner. Going from a two income household to a one income household is tough financially.
You need to decide where you are going to live, how you are going to pay for it, and if you can afford to live on your own. On top of living arrangements, you also need to consider if your job will pay enough. Maybe you need to go back to school, apply for a different job, or add more hours to your work schedule.
Get a Divorce Lawyer
Before you do anything with your assets, children, or divorce, you need to seek counsel from a divorce lawyer. Should you leave before actually filing for divorce, your husband could get you for abandonment. You do not want to find yourself in court fighting for custody of your children and trying to keep your assets because you did not go through the right procedures.
Your divorce lawyer can provide you helpful tips on how to handle the separation and filing so that you do not get accused of handling it wrong by your husband or the court system. Many times, a divorce attorney will agree to a free consultation to discuss your case before deciding whether to retain them as your lawyer.
Don't Get Too Social
What you put on your social media accounts can come back to haunt you especially during the divorce proceedings. From profile pages to status updates, these things can be used against you. Just because your profile may be set to private, it doesn't mean that all your information is unattainable. In fact, there was an 81% increase in evidence that used social media, according to a study conducted by the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers.
Obtain a Post Office Box
While you are discussing the status of your marriage with financial planners, divorce lawyers, and other professionals, you may receive mail from them from time to time. The last thing you want is for your spouse to see all this before you have the chance to tell them. By obtaining a post office box, you can keep these pieces of mail separated from the other mail. This also allows you to get important mail from these professionals much faster.
Share6 February 2016
When I started my first small business, I had no idea how much I really didn’t know. I was fully prepared to deal with customers, sell product and even handle complaints and returns. What I wasn’t aware of was that there is so much more to it. I was lacking the legal expertise to protect the company and myself. I wanted others to benefit from my experience, mistakes and lessons learned, so I started this blog. From employment law to the legal business contracts you’ll have to sign when you form partnerships, business law is complex. I hope that the information here will help you to be better prepared when you start your business so that you’ll know when you need to call an attorney and when you can handle things yourself.
