Divorce is exhausting, stressful and emotional for all parties involved, especially when there are children in the picture. One of the most contentious aspects of divorce is dividing the marital property. It can be very difficult to come to an agreement as to who takes different assets or pieces of property when getting divorced. What are important issues to discuss with a divorce attorney?
After you and your spouse have decided it is time to divorce you can save yourself time and money by preparing documents in advance. Attaining certain financial and legal documents ahead of time can provide a lot of answers for your attorney and save him or her time acquiring them for you.
There are three main categories you should be prepared to discuss with your attorney; spousal support, child custody and property.
Spousal support issues include how long payments will last, the amount of the payments, which spouse will be entitled to the payments and if continued health coverage will be provided through COBRA.
Child custody issues to discuss with your attorney include the following:
– Child support payments
– Physical child custody
– Legal child custody
– Non-custodial parent vis itation
– Health and dental insurance for children
– Costs of uninsured health care issues
– Who will reside in the marital home
– The religious beliefs and upbringing of the children
– Life insurance policy beneficiaries
– How to claim children on income tax return as dependents after divorce
– How college education will be handled
Issues to discuss with your divorce attorney regarding property include the following:
– The equity in the home
– The vehicles owned
– The furnishings in the home
– Professional practices and degrees
– Any business assets
– Retirement benefits, such as 401(k), IRAs and other pension plans
– Savings accounts and stocks, bonds and other funds
– Hidden assets
– Other personal property
Some of the documents you should have prepared ahead of time include a prenuptial agreement, property tax statements, loan documents, a separation agreement, credit card statements, proof of your current income and proof of your spouse’s current income.
Source: Findlaw, “Checklist: Issues To Discuss With Your Divorce Attorney,” accessed March 03, 2017