Free Divorce Information

Getting divorced is not the easiest thing to do. Aside from the emotional tumult arising from the prospect of ending a marriage, there are also legal and fiduciary concerns to think about. To help you cope with the stress, it may be helpful to create a divorce checklist. This way, you can check if you overlooked anything in the confusion of going through the divorce process.

• Hire a lawyer - One of the first things you should do is to hire a good divorce lawyer to represent you. Look for somebody who you feel comfortable talking about your marriage. A good lawyer will be able to help you with understanding the process and walk you through it.
• Gather your financial records - This includes tax returns, investments, sales stubs and the likes. Make photocopies of these records and keep them in a safe place. You need to prepare these records because you'll show these to your lawyer.
• Create a timeline - Sit down with your lawyer and create a timeline of what will happen during the divorce. Some people have the wrong idea that divorces happen quickly. Create a calendar of events which will eventually include court dates. Divorce courts always have a full schedule, so it's possible that you may need to wait a while before you get your turn. It's easy to forget dates if you don't write them down. Keeping a timeline will also help you determine where you are in the divorce process
• Open separate savings, checking and credit accounts - Separating your finances later on will be a lot easier if you already have a separate account of your own.
• Talk about how you'll be handling children and other dependents - For many couples, this is one of the most difficult part of the divorce process. Talking about this early may help you solve the issue early, or at least lets you test the waters about whether this would present a problem down the road.
• Talk about how you'll be dividing property - If you can decide amicably on how to separate your property, this is more desirable than having to let the court decide for you.
• Change your will - Many people don't like to think about this because it seems a bit premature to change the will. However, if your personal circumstances change and you feel this necessitates a change of the will in order to take care of the right people when you die, then you should take this in consideration.
• Determine if you need your own health insurance - Check if can still be given group insurance rate by your spouse's employer. If not, it may be time to consider getting your own health insurance.
• Notify the people who need to know - Aside from family member and friends, you should also consider notifying your employer, your insurance handler, and whoever handles your pension plans to notify them of the impending status change.