How to Prepare for a Divorce

Going through a divorce is always devastating. Still, only if you manage to go through with it properly, will you be able to move on with your life. Right because of this, it’s necessary that you prepare for your divorce as much as possible. Unfortunately, there are many things that have to be taken care of before you can make your divorce final. Therefore, here are a couple of tips that will help you plan ahead and go through your divorce as smoothly as possible.

Get All the Necessary Paperwork

The amount of paperwork you have to deal with when going through a divorce is overwhelming. Therefore, it’s an obvious choice to start gathering all the necessary information as soon as possible. Record of names, addresses, phone and account numbers are just some of the information you are going to need. Getting a copy of your free efiled tax returns for the last couple of years is also always a good idea. This is especially important if you your spouse are running a business. Some other paperwork you will have to make copies of are deeds, wills and prenuptial or antenuptial agreements.

Document All of Your Possessions

It’s also advisable that you document all of your valuables before your divorce. This includes all the possessions you have in your home, your vehicles as well as any other properties. Videotaping them can also provide you with a proof of their existence which might later be crucial when it comes to the division of your assets. If you stopped trusting your spouse completely, it’s also a good idea to get a safety deposit box where you can keep all of your precious possessions until your divorce goes through. This will prevent any new arguments from happening and allow you to go through your divorce without any troubles.

Seek Legal Advice

Another thing you should do, if you want to be ready for your divorce, is contact divorce attorneys at Peters And May or a similar family law firm. They not only take care of the documentation but also offer advice on how you should conduct yourself through the divorce proceedings. Also, laws concerning divorce are not the same in every state and it’s very important that you are aware of them when filing for a divorce. For example, California is a community property state where a 50/50 division of all community property is strictly mandated by statute.

On the other hand, if you’re interested in filing for a divorce in Oregon, which is a non-community state, you get to retain full ownership of assets you have acquired during the marriage. Therefore, it’s necessary that you get all the important information from professionals in order to be fully prepared for your divorce.

Think About Your Financial Situation

Once you have all the necessary paperwork, it’s the right time to start thinking about your financial situation. You should start by determining the net worth of your marital estate. Marital estate is everything you have acquired during the marriage minus any debts you might have. By doing this, you will get an idea of what you are entitled to once your divorce goes through and you can start planning for the future. It’s also a good idea to save some extra money during the divorce as there are going to many costs you will have to deal with. If you’re unemployed, you can make your resume and start thinking about what type of work you can start doing once your divorce is final.

Even though a list like this might seem overwhelming, it’s very important that you take all of these things seriously and prepare for your divorce as much as you can. Only by doing so will you be able to go through your divorce peacefully and move on with your life.