Divorce can take months or even more than a year from when you file to when the courts finalize everything. You might think that gives you plenty of time to prepare after you file, but there are some things you shouldn’t delay.
The more you prepare ahead of time, the easier it may be for you to protect yourself throughout your divorce. If you think that you may pursue a divorce, taking these four steps will hope you minimize your risks during that process.
Learn about the New Hampshire approach to divorce
You won’t know what to expect when you divorce if you don’t educate yourself about state laws. When you understand the basics of property division and child custody, you will be in a better position to negotiate with your spouse or predict your circumstances after you file for divorce.
Make physical copies or obtain digital copies of your financial records
You and your spouse probably share bank accountants and most of your financial records. Especially if you don’t usually file your taxes or handle household accounts, you need to make sure that you get copies of all of the account statements and income tax returns for the household before your spouse knows you intend to file for divorce. Otherwise, they might hide, destroy or even fraudulently alter some of those documents.
Create your own inventory of marital assets
Financial discovery is an important part of the divorce process. You and your spouse have to provide one another with details about your financial assets and other property.
It can be hard to create an authoritative list of your spouse’s assets when you have already started living separately. While you still have access to everything, will be much easier to go through your house and create a list of their possessions along with an estimate of their value.
Make a plan to handle your practical needs
There are numerous practical considerations that people need to address if they want to divorce. Who will stay in your marital home? How do you split custody in the early days after your separation? Do you have lines of credit in your own name, or are they all marital accounts that you will have to freeze? The more you plan ahead, the easier it will be for you to adjust to the challenges of life after divorce.
Taking the right steps when you start considering divorce will put you in a better position if you do move ahead with filing.
