It goes without saying that preparing for a divorce is an emotionally trying time. You may feel completely overwhelmed and want to stick your head in the sand rather than facing the situation.
You may have recently discovered that your spouse of many years has been cheating on you for some time. Taking the following steps will put you in a stronger mental position and prevent you from making hasty decisions you may regret later.
- Do some financial planning ahead of time
You may have had suspicions your spouse was cheating and installed the Spy Phone free tracker app software on his android phone. By tracking his movements, you were able to establish he was cheating on you.
If this was not the first time, you might have decided you have had enough and you want to go ahead with a divorce. This gives you the opportunity to do some financial planning ahead of time, especially if you think he may do something like prevent you from accessing funds once you confront him.
- Put aside money for legal fees
If your spouse controls your finances, it may be difficult for you to access funds to move ahead with a divorce. You will not only need money for day-to-day expenses but to make sure you’re able to hire legal counsel to assist you. You don’t want to have to sign a divorce settlement that is skewed in your spouse’s favor.
Your divorce may cost more than you expect so it helps plan ahead of time. If you only have a joint account, you will need to open up your own bank account. You should also apply for a credit card in your name if you don’t already have one.
- Try and keep the divorce amicable
When it comes to divorce, there are various different options. Keeping your divorce amicable can work in your favor financially. If you have a simple case where your spouse doesn’t contest you, you may even be able to do it yourself. Mediation in the event of any conflict is a cheaper option than going to court.
Despite the fact that you’re terminating your marriage, mediation can help you to come to an agreement about issues like child support, visitation rights and property division. If you decide to battle things out in court, your divorce can drag on and turn out to be very expensive.
- Get organized
The decisions you make during this time will affect you and your children for years to come. The more organized you are, the more time and money you will save. Gathering all your financial documents will help to facilitate the process. Make copies of bank account statements, credit card statements, mortgage statements, recent tax returns, car loan statements and insurance policies.
You will also need copies of your marriage certificate and any prenuptial or postnuptial agreements. Work out a list of assets and debts. Determine your current monthly expenses as well as your projected monthly expenses after you get your divorce. This all helps to prepare you for the discovery phase of the divorce process.
- Stay in your marital home
If you move out of your marital home, there can be consequences. For example, in North Carolina, a spouse is not allowed to return to the marital home during the divorce proceedings if he or she has moved out. If you own your home, you will need copies of the deed and bank loan information. You should take photos and obtain a current market value appraisal for any real estate you own.