If you do not know how to start the process of divorce, it would be complicated things you will face. However, there are a number of things you should prepare before jumping into a divorce trial. Putting together a divorce checklist is one way to make the process a little smoother.
If you are a mom who is preparing for divorce process, it would be better for you to put divorce checklist as clearly as possible, so that the process of divorce will be easier. If you’re looking for anything to put in divorce checklist for your mother, you can dive into our post below, since we will show them for you. Here you go!
Here’s a Divorce Checklist for Mothers!
Putting together a divorce checklist both for mother and father would be significantly similar. This way aims to save your time and your money, making the process of divorce faster and easier.
If you are a wife who is getting into the process of divorce, we will show you what things you should put in your divorce checklist that we obtained from bairdfinancialadvisor.com.
Stage 1: Should you hire a divorce attorney?
The first thing you should think about for your divorce is whether or not you should hire an attorney. In fact, there is no legal requirement to allow you hire an attorney when divorcing. Of course, you can go alone to do the process of divorce.
However, most people hire a divorce attorney to perfectly protect their interests, though doing so can be more expensive. However, if you are a housewife and earn less income than your spouse, it may be possible to get legal representation.
Stage 2: Collect any important information before meeting with an attorney
Before meeting with an attorney or other divorce professional, you may need to collect any important information, including:
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- Your birthdate and your spouse’s birthdate
- Names and birthdates of children
- Date and place of marriage
- Information about parties’ prior marriages, children, etc.
- Date of separation and grounds for divorce
- Current occupation
- Social Security number for each spouse
- Income of each spouse
- Education, degrees, and training of each spouse
- Extent of employee benefits for each spouse
- Details of retirement plans for each spouse
- Financial records
- Family business records
- Etc.
Stage 3: Consider for child custody and alimony
You will have to think about some questions before meeting with him or her, even though your attorney can help you work through the big issues. We obtained the following questions you should consider from bairdfinancialadvisor.com:
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- What are your wishes regarding custody, child support and visitation?
- Whose health insurance plan should cover the children?
- Do you get enough money to support yourself, or should alimony be considered?
- Which assets do you really want?
- Which are you willing to let your spouse keep?
- How do you feel about the family home?
- Do you feel strongly about living there, or should it be sold or allotted to your spouse?
- Will you have enough money to pay the outstanding debt on whatever assets you keep?
Stage 4: Some dos and don’ts during divorce
There are some things you should and shouldn’t do when divorce. Make sure to keep the following tips and tricks:
Dos
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- Prepare a budget and a financial plan to sustain you until your divorce is complete. Make sure to get help if you do not currently have the energy and skills to do this on your own.
- Review monthly bank and financial statements and create copies for your attorney.
- Review all tax returns which have been filed jointly or separately by your spouse.
- Ensure all taxes have been paid to date.
- Review the contents of any safe-deposit boxes.
- Do get emotional support for yourself-talk to friends, see a therapist or join a support group.
Don’ts
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- Make large purchases or make additional debt which might later cause financial hardship.
- Quit your job.
- Move out of the house before consulting your attorney.
- Transfer or give away assets that are owned jointly.
- Sign a blank financial statement or any other document without reviewing it with your attorney.
Okay, that’s divorce checklist for mothers that you should consider if you happen to get into the process of divorce.
Other Divorce Questions for Mothers
There are also a number of questions you should answer related to the process of your divorce. We obtained the following divorce questions for mothers from Baird Financial Adviser that you can access here.
General information
- Has relevant personal information been collected?
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- Each spouse’s name, date of birth, and Social Security number
- Names and birthdates of children
- Date and place of marriage and length of time in present state
- Information about prior marriages and children
- Date of separation and grounds for divorce
- Current occupation of spouses and name/address of employers
- Education and degrees of each spouse
- Name, address, and telephone number of attorney
- Has the financial situation been assessed?
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- Income of each spouse
- Expenses of each spouse
- Assets of the spouses (joint and separate)
- Liabilities of each spouse
- Employee benefits each spouse is entitled to
- Life, health, and disability insurance policies owned by each spouse
- Credit reports
Property settlements
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- Does prenuptial agreement exist?
- Do spouses reside in a community property state?
- Have all assets been listed, valued, and classified as joint or separate?
- Have the tax bases of all assets been determined?
- If assets will be transferred or sold, have tax consequences been calculated and explained to the client?
- Have loans and other liabilities on the properties (or otherwise) been listed and considered?
- Is there a family business?
Alimony and child support
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- Have tax consequences of classifying support as alimony or child support been reviewed?
- Has physical custody of children been determined?
- Has legal custody of children been determined?
- Have visitation parameters been established for the noncustodial parent?
- Will alimony be paid?
Marital home
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- Will home be transferred to either spouse as part of settlement?
- If yes, has the cost basis been reviewed for improvements?
- Has the amount of outstanding mortgage been calculated?
- Will the principal residence be sold to a third party?
- If yes, has the tax cost (if any) been computed?
Others
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- Should will and trust be changed?
- Should insurance policy beneficiaries be changed?
- Should banks and other creditors be notified of divorce and signatures changed?
- Will either spouse’s health insurance plan cover the children post-divorce? Cover spouse?
- Has the budget been revised to account for changes in income and liabilities?
- Does credit need to be repaired or established?
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