Divorce is not something that’s easy and cheap. It is usually a stressful time of a person’s life that affects the emotional, physical, and financial aspects. Emotions are mixed and include rage and devastation. However, decisions must be made which has long-lasting impact on the lives of the family members.
While divorce is a complicated process, it shouldn’t be like that. There is a checklist with all the things that one should prepare to lessen the hassle of going through the process.
Check them below:
Educate yourself and make research
In filing a divorce, there are several options. If the couple is married for over five years and share assets and children, an uncontested divorce is the legal choice. In this option, both parties should come up with a settlement on their own, filing divorce papers together. Other divorce option happens when the other party disagree with the other – usually involves lawyer, family court, and legal fees.
Discuss the parenting plan with soon-to-be ex-spouse
Make sure that both of you will agree where children will leave as well as the visitation terms especially on special occasions like Christmas and birthdays. Talk about also how the children’s financial needs should be handled and decide who will pay for this and that. Moreover, both parents should discuss how to raise the kids and how to make sure that both are on the same page regarding the rules of parenting.
Ask for legal help from family lawyer
In divorce, family lawyers are the expert legal professionals in this case. It’s always recommended to involve an attorney to help you the process. Divorce process can be expensive so that a lawyer can help you manage both financial aspect and legal paperwork. Make sure that your hired lawyer is someone that you’re comfortable to work with. Also, ensure that he or she has a good track record with previous clients.
Organize the necessary legal paperwork
Family lawyers help the client going through divorce from preparing the documents, filing them, and settling for what’s good for their client. Their help mostly needed when preparing the legal paperwork. Documents needed when filing divorce are as follows:
• Divorce petition paper
• Application for Decree Nisi
• Application for Decree Absolute
• File Consent Order to make the arrangement legally binding
• Decide if you want to create or change your will
Prepare marital financial documents
When the divorce process starts, your chosen family lawyer will ask about marital finances for division. The major marital financial documents include:
• Three (3) years of income tax returns
• Current pay stubs
• Investment account statements
• Pension Plan Information
• Insurance policies
• Bank and credit card account statements
• Children’s Bank Accounts
• Debt Records
These documents will show the total assets and liabilities of the marriage. . Without all of the relevant financial documents to review, you may not be able to know your proper share of significant assets, investments, or accounts.
Check out the new place to live and form a budget
Consider where you and the children will live after the divorce. Former partners should discuss the plan of where the kids will live along with the allotted budget for the place. Both parents should have a working budget to cover the needs of the children and plan the living arrangements. Decide whether the children will live with you, or your spouse.
Get P.O. Box as soon as possible
This is an essential part of divorce preparation and process. If you decide to change house or move to another place after the divorce, open a post office box so your important documents may not be lost. You can redirect all important papers to your P.O. Box once the divorce process begins.
Gather all support needed
First, you can gather family and friends who can help you all throughout the divorce process. They can totally lend a hand when you need. Family and friends are your immediate support. You can also see a therapist, who can give help in terms of emotional impact of a breakup. You can also ask support from other divorcees – tips and suggestions on how to survive this life’s event.
Save more funds
Divorce is cheap and that’s reality. When you finally decide to file for it, start saving money for it. It will definitely cost you a bit. Ensure that you have funds that can cover your own expenses, kids’ expenses, attorney’s fees, and more. Keep on saving up to cover all expenses needed while on the process.