Family Law

Tips to Help You Get a Fair Divorce

By Ben Stevens

The following tips can help you get a fair divorce and save you a great deal of time, stress, and money:

• Once you have made the difficult decision to end your marriage, begin to focus on the financial issues as soon as possible.
  
• Get a good attorney to ensure you receive an equitable settlement, and get the best attorney that you can afford.
• Remember that most states determine the value of the marital assets (including retirement accounts) based on the date the case is filed with the Court.
  
• Consider when to file your case and whether it might be worthwhile to file sooner or later if you know when significant financial events will occur, such as receiving a bonus at work.
  
• If the mortgage is listed in your name (or both name) and your spouse will receive the house, insist that he/she refinance to remove your name from the mortgage as soon as possible.
• Make copies of all recent financial statements, so that your attorney will have an accurate listing of the accounts, balances, etc.
  

Full post as published by SC Family Law Blog on April 09, 2008 (boomark / email).