4 Things To Avoid Doing When Preparing To File For A Divorce
by Joyce Diaz
Divorce is common, and it often happens peacefully. However, there are things that should be avoided right before filing for divorce.
1. Avoid making major financial investments.
You may need a new car, a new house to live in, or even a new computer system. However, it is best to prolong these kinds of investments until after the divorce. Properties obtained while the marriage was still intact can be considered joint property, which means you may have to sell what you just bought and split the money.
2. Avoid living with each other under strenuous circumstances.
If the relationship is especially tumultuous, it is best to part ways and live separately even if the two of you have not yet filed for a divorce. Staying under one roof with a soon-to-be ex-spouse under strenuous circumstances will just mean more chances for conflict during divorce proceedings. Plus, some states will require you to be legally separated for a certain period of time before you are technically allowed to file.
3. Avoid taking any property out of the home.
You may be living separately and fully intent on moving on with your lives. However, it is best to not remove any major pieces of property from the marital home until after the divorce is finalized. Doing so could land you in the middle of a tricky predicament. For example, if there is a piece of antique furniture in the home that was left to you by your grandmother, you may assume that piece is all yours for the taking. However, it could be deemed as joint property in some states, which means both parties own it and both parties must agree who takes ownership of it. If you have taken that piece out of the shared home and sold it, you may be held responsible for giving the other person half of the money you garnered from that sale.
4. Avoid getting pregnant.
It may sound like an odd thing, but this is actually really good advice. Even though a couple may have amicably decided to file for divorce, it does not mean they will not have physical encounters. Unfortunately, if you are pregnant at the time of filing for a divorce, the family court judge may see that as a reason to prolong the case or may not legally be allowed to grant the divorce at all. In some states, the divorce cannot go through and be finalized until after the child is born.
For more information, contact a divorce attorney.
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About Me
Hello. My name is Stephanie Laurel. I have recently been through a divorce, and although I don’t wish it on anyone, I do wish that everyone could come out of the proceedings feeling they have been taken care of. My husband and I had been married twenty-eight years. We have four children, two of which are still under eighteen years of age. We owned the home we lived in and had a vacation home in a different state. We are civilized people, we get along fairly well considering, but no matter how much we thought we could go through the divorce process without lawyers, it wasn't possible. We each hired a divorce attorney to represent us. Most of the negotiations went well, but when we hit a rough spot the attorneys took over. Thank goodness. I’m going to share more about the experience and hope it helps you.