Couples spend much effort, many months and thousands of dollars planning their wedding day. While those wedding details are wonderful memories, no matter how gorgeous the dress or delicious the cake, the carefully planned wedding details will not affect the quality of a couple’s daily life or the lives of their children.
Divorce, on the other hand, will have a huge impact on their lives and children. While it’s not fun to plan a divorce, it is much more important to understand the process, the details, and be prepared. The consequences of being unprepared for divorce can have a great impact on daily life and the lives of your children post-divorce.
Divorce changes your life: Couples must separate physically, emotionality and financially. They must learn to share time with children and create a new life for themselves. Planning ahead for this type of major life change is not calculating or cold, it is smart.
5 TIPS TO PLAN FOR DIVORCE
Get the information you need about divorce in your jurisdiction.
Take time to educate your self on what the law is and how it applies to your situation before making any big decisions. There is lots of information on my blog and for a small fee I offer comprehensive pre-divorce consultations to evaluate your situation and help you chart your course.
Collect and organize the documents you will need.
Divorce is a document driven process and you will need many documents. Find out what these are and begin to compile them so you will have them when you need them.
Understand your finances.
Get a handle on your finances and how much it will take to support yourself and your children. Know what your spouse earns, your debts, investments and bank accounts. Start to think about how you will support yourself financially after the divorce.
Start to deal with your feelings.
Divorce is hard. Even if you are the one who wants the divorce it is a difficult process. Working through some of these emotions before the process begins can help you begin the process in a more solid emotional place and help you make more clearheaded good decisions. Remember, emotional justice can never be achieved in a court of law. A good therapist can be helpful here.
Know your options.
There are lots of ways to get divorced. Some are relatively simple and inexpensive and some take much longer and cost much more money. Make sure that you understand all of your options before moving forward. If at all possible choose an attorney with a cooperative attitude who will pursue settlement before resorting to costly and stressful hearings.
Scroll through my blog for more information on divorce in St. Tammany Parish or call for a divorce planning consultation at 985-327-3024 or email kim@simplydivorce.me.