5 To-Dos When Facing A Divorce in the New Year

1. Secure liquid funds, if possible before your spouse takes you off marital accounts. Get a separate account for your living expenses and attorney fees.
2. Begin Gathering Financial Documents.  Compile all documents you can. Start pulling bank statements for the past few years, tax returns, retirement statements. These documents contain information that will be essential to determining the existence of certain assets, the value of certain assets, the value of your community estate, and your relative access to liquid funds.
3. Create a monthly budget.  Your single household is about to become two.  You need to know what you can afford on a monthly bases going forward.
4. Before filing, consider preparing your family for divorce.  Children benefit from a joint statement from parents regarding the divorce. The deleterious effects that can result from a divorce are not limited to you and your spouse and tend to be far reaching- affecting children, extended families, and friends.  Bottom line: use your best  judgement and consider the history of your interactions with your spouse before you inform your family of the divorce.
5. Change your passwords and get new email addresses.

Contact a knowledgeable family law attorney.  Hayes Legal Solutions, PLLC at 405-635-5578  can help you prepare a strategy before you begin the divorce process.