Preparing For A Stress-Free Divorce Starts Now

Divorce Monday, the first business Monday in January, is the day when family law courts receive more divorce petitions and divorce lawyers receive more inquiries from prospective clients than any other day of the year.  Most people who make a move toward divorce on Divorce Monday do not do so on a whim; most of them have been planning it for months.  There is probably someone out there who can’t wait to see the look on his wife’s face when the process server arrives with divorce papers on January 9 as she takes down the Christmas decorations that looked so perfect on social media and looks forward to telling her Facebook friends how many calories she burned in the process, but for the rest of us, filing for divorce is not an ambush.  Most people who file for divorce have spent months planning, together or separately, how to end their marriage.  If this sounds like your situation, then now is the perfect time to contact a Boca Raton divorce lawyer.

Envision a Financial Future Without Your Spouse

Divorce does not make anyone richer; you might be bitter about the share of the marital property that your ex-spouse gets to keep, but your ex is probably feeling the pinch, too.  Before you divorce, you should come up with a realistic plan about financial survival as a single person; remember that alimony is the exception rather than the rule, and it is usually of short duration.  It may help to consult a divorce lawyer about how much it would cost you to buy out your spouse’s share of the marital home if this is what you are planning to do.

Learn About the Divorce Process in Florida

Your divorce will be less stressful if you know what to expect.  Visit the court website and find out about all the paperwork you need to file in a divorce case.  The court will want to know lots of financial details, so start rounding up those documents now, almost as if you were applying for a mortgage loan or preparing for a tax audit.  If you and your spouse have mutually agreed to divorce, you can work on this together.

Sign a Postnuptial Agreement

Perhaps you and your spouse have discussed things and decided that you don’t want to divorce right now, but you do want some financial freedom from each other.  You might be waiting until your kids grow up before you divorce, or maybe you just want to avoid hasty decisions and give yourselves some time to envision your future together or apart.  A postnuptial agreement can serve as a peace agreement after a major dispute over finances or a breach of trust; it can also serve as a roadmap for property division if you decide that you want in on Divorce Monday in some later year.

Contact Schwartz | White About Well Thought-Out Divorce

A South Florida family law attorney can help you brainstorm about divorce, even if you are not quite sure whether you are ready to give up on your marriage.  Contact Schwartz | White in Boca Raton, Florida about your case.

Source:

divorcemag.com/blog/5-ways-to-prepare-before-filing-for-divorce