If you’ve recently decided that your marriage is over, you may be wondering how to proceed. Blurting it out the next moment you sit down together might not be the best choice. Instead, it can pay to do some preparation.
Here are some of the things to think about:
If you have children, what will happen to them?
Courts try their best to ensure both parents have regular contact with their children after a divorce. The rare exception to this would be if one parent presents a threat to the kids. So, you should probably forget all thoughts of running away to the other side of the country with the kids and never having to deal with your spouse again. Instead, you should focus on how you can work it so that you both see them regularly and can deal with each other over matters concerning the kids for years to come.
What will happen to the house?
If you own your home, then keeping it might seem like a priority, but it’s not that clear. When courts divide marital assets, they look at the overall picture. So, if one person keeps the house, the other won’t lose out but have it made up to them in some other way, perhaps by taking a greater share of the bank account.
It’s also to remember that the house is really only worth what you have paid off on it. If you still have 20 years left on the mortgage, then the actual value to you is far less than the ticket price.
How can I make this easier?
If your spouse has wronged you, you might feel like giving them hell during the divorce. While it might feel good for a while, it’s not going to speed up the process or make you feel any better in the long run. It will also make dealing with them in the future much harder.
Getting legal help to find out more about divorce can help add some perspective to your decisions at this stressful time.