1 Thing You Must Do… To Survive a Divorce Financially
If you are facing the possibility of divorce and want to protect yourself and your family financially, the one thing you must do is act now. Questions about money, housing, and spousal support can be overwhelming even if you are not arguing over details with your spouse. While you may not have any control over the fact that you are getting a divorce, you control how you handle the process and it will greatly influence the outcome and the rest of your life financially and emotionally.
Do not underestimate the significance of acting now.
- You can choose to get the information and the help you need to protect yourself or you can simply let the divorce “happen” to you and live with the consequences.
- You can find competent professionals to help you get a fair settlement or you can realize too late that you made mistakes doing it on your own and suffer financially for years.
- You can be confident that you will address all relevant aspects of your unique situation or simply hope that “agreeing on everything” with your spouse was enough.
- You can successfully separate yourself legally and financially and address the emotional side of divorce or you can struggle with regret over the choices you made.
Don’t worry, taking control of your divorce is not as hard as you might think.
- It does not require a ton of money. It does require your attention and effort.
- It will take a bit of time now. It will save you time, money, and stress the rest of your life.
- You do not have to be an expert. You do need to work with the right experts.
Here is how you can do it:
- Get Informed – Start with online resources to learn about financial issues of divorce and the divorce process paying attention to the rules in your state of residence. You do not need to be an expert. You just need a general understanding to start.
- Get Help – Talk to friends and trusted advisors to get some names of professionals who truly know how to handle divorce. Get references for help in each aspect of divorce including the legal, financial and psychological. You must address them all.
- Make a Plan – Work with a team of professionals to create a detailed plan to separate your financial life from your spouse without destroying your credit. Be sure to address hidden assets, joint debt, and long-term financial implications of any agreement.
- Do it – It sounds silly, but you must actually do everything in your plan. I cannot tell you how many times I see people who forgot to do something that caused trouble later.
In the end, it is simply a choice and one that is completely up to you. You get one chance and it will have a huge impact on the rest of your life. Taking the time to read this short article is the first step. Now, take the next one and get more informed.
