When your marriage is on the rocks, you might find yourself wondering if divorce is on the horizon. While that’s a decision that only you can make, you have to approach that choice and your corresponding actions with care. After all, if you proceed with divorce, the outcome can define your life for a long time to come, including what your finances look like and the amount of time that you’ll get to spend with your children. Therefore, before jumping into the marriage dissolution process, you have to have a strong gameplan. But if you’ve never been through the process before, then you may not even know where to start.
Don’t worry, though. In this post we’ll give you an idea of some of the steps you should take when seeking divorce so that you can more strongly protect your interests and your future. Hopefully then you can move confidently through the process.
There are several, and they can quicky feel overwhelming. The key, though, is to make steady progress. Here are some of the most crucial actions that you’ll want to consider taking as you embark on your journey through marriage dissolution:
- Identify your goals: Regardless of whether your divorce will settle through negotiations or will have to be litigated in court, you have to have an idea of what you want out of the process and where you’re willing to make concessions. This will help you frame your legal strategy.
- Gather financial records: Tax statements, bank account records, and outstanding bills like your mortgage are all going to be important when it comes to the property division process. By having easy access to these records, you can better prepare to make your arguments and counter your spouse’s positions.
- Conduct an inventory: Washington is community property state, meaning that you and your spouse will split marital assets equally. That said, you’ll acquire your fair share of the marital estate only if you have a firm understanding of the assets in play. A thorough inventory should give you a clear picture of what’s at stake, and it could help you figure out if your spouse is trying to hide assets from you.
- Start establishing a separate life: You don’t want the finalization of your divorce to hit you like a ton of bricks, leaving you stunned and unsure of your next steps. Instead, you should start working now to establish the next phase of your life. You can do this by opening your own bank account, securing a post office box for your mail, considering your post-divorce living arrangements and creating a budget. Taking these actions will give you a better sense of direction so that you know what you need to do to create the kind of post-divorce life that you want.
- Be active with your children: If child custody is going to be on the line in your divorce, then you’ll want to demonstrate that you play a meaningful and active role in their lives. So, try to engage in their extracurricular activities, and set aside extra time to spend with them to strengthen and secure your bond with them.
These are just some of the many steps that you should think about taking when pursuing divorce. There’s so much to do that it can quickly become overwhelming, but don’t let the process daunt you to the point that you don’t feel capable of moving forward. Instead, diligently think through how you can piecemeal the actions in a way that ensures continued progress while protecting your interests.
