Experience has proven to us that if the financial aspects of divorce were less daunting for people, there is a strong possibility that unhappy spouses wouldn’t delay their divorce as much as some of them do. In fact, some spouses will extend their misery for years because they don’t want to confront dividing their marital assets, putting their house on the market, and having to pay spousal maintenance and child support.
If you too are nervous about your financial future, you have plenty of company. But, let us remind you that the more you learn about divorce, the less worry involved. When you remove the mystery from the equation, you can have peace of mind. You can begin strategizing your divorce, and what you are going to do next.
Knowledge is Power in a Divorce
When a spouse divorces, they usually do much better when they learn their rights and responsibilities under New York law at the onset. If a spouse can educate themselves before telling their spouse they want a divorce, even better. If you are on the verge of divorce, here is a valuable list of things that you need to start considering today:
- What are you going to do with the marital home?
- Do you expect to pay or receive spousal support and maintenance?
- Do you have direct access to all of your financial data, or are you in the dark?
- What is the status of your health and life insurance policies?
- Do you have estate planning documents, such as a will or trust? If so, you will need to change the beneficiary designations after the divorce.
- Is it possible that your spouse has hidden assets from you?
- Is adultery an issue and if so, can it affect property division?
- If you have been a stay-at-home parent or homemaker, will you have to return to the workforce?
- Do you have a prenuptial agreement in place? If so, is it legally enforceable?
- How will child custody affect your financial situation?
- Will you need to move into a smaller, more affordable home?
- Would dating before the divorce is final affect property division?
If you don’t know the answer to any of the above questions and they apply to you, feel free to contact our firm for advice. We gladly offer free consultations to all prospective clients on Staten Island. We pride ourselves on being an accessible, affordable law firm that is reliable when you need us most.
Contact The Law Office of Keith M. Casella, P.C. today at (718) 557-9137 to get started.