Are you thinking about divorce? My best advice to you is to get your finances in order.
Get rid of debt and do your homework to find out where you are financially.
Nothing about a divorce is easy, but facing difficult financial changes may be the most challenging practical issue.
Who gets the second home? How do you handle retirement plans now that you will be living separate lives? Divorce forces people into new financial situations.
Remember, you are the one who is new to this.
Other people have been here before and there really are solutions that can help you out here.
It can be very difficult to ask questions if you do not understand the issues.
Some people who are newly divorced have to create their own budgets for the first time.
Some have to learn how to balance a checkbook or manage money.
You might even need to get a job for the first time.
Do you know how to handle credit? Protecting your credit can be very complicated throughout your divorce.
If your credit cards are all joint accounts, the wife is due for a cruel adjustment after the divorce.
She will be considered as if she has no credit history at all.
After the divorce, she cannot get a loan for a car or a house.
It is as if all of her life with you has been invisible.
It is wise for both of you to open a credit card in each of your names alone, just in case you need it for an emergency.
That will also build a credit record for each of you not just for the primary card holder.
What about your upfront cash and checking or savings accounts? Do you have enough money in your accounts to pay your bills right now and for the next six months?Is it possible to set up two separate households on the income you have together right now? Perhaps you cannot afford a divorce? It is natural to expect the "bad guy" to suffer.
Whoever you feel is responsible for the divorce is the one who has to pay up and give out.
Go live in a motel or in the back of a station wagon while you keep the house, the alimony, the kids, the dog, the prestige.
Well, that is how it looks for you if you let celebrities be your moral guide.
Or theatre.
But it does not have to be that cut and dry or cruel.
In the world of real people you can recognize that both of you are responsible to some degree for the failed marriage relationship.
Accept the reality of your intent to get a divorce.
You can and maybe ought to be civil to each other, especially if there are children involved.
Get rid of debt and do your homework to find out where you are financially.
Nothing about a divorce is easy, but facing difficult financial changes may be the most challenging practical issue.
Who gets the second home? How do you handle retirement plans now that you will be living separate lives? Divorce forces people into new financial situations.
Remember, you are the one who is new to this.
Other people have been here before and there really are solutions that can help you out here.
It can be very difficult to ask questions if you do not understand the issues.
Some people who are newly divorced have to create their own budgets for the first time.
Some have to learn how to balance a checkbook or manage money.
You might even need to get a job for the first time.
Do you know how to handle credit? Protecting your credit can be very complicated throughout your divorce.
If your credit cards are all joint accounts, the wife is due for a cruel adjustment after the divorce.
She will be considered as if she has no credit history at all.
After the divorce, she cannot get a loan for a car or a house.
It is as if all of her life with you has been invisible.
It is wise for both of you to open a credit card in each of your names alone, just in case you need it for an emergency.
That will also build a credit record for each of you not just for the primary card holder.
What about your upfront cash and checking or savings accounts? Do you have enough money in your accounts to pay your bills right now and for the next six months?Is it possible to set up two separate households on the income you have together right now? Perhaps you cannot afford a divorce? It is natural to expect the "bad guy" to suffer.
Whoever you feel is responsible for the divorce is the one who has to pay up and give out.
Go live in a motel or in the back of a station wagon while you keep the house, the alimony, the kids, the dog, the prestige.
Well, that is how it looks for you if you let celebrities be your moral guide.
Or theatre.
But it does not have to be that cut and dry or cruel.
In the world of real people you can recognize that both of you are responsible to some degree for the failed marriage relationship.
Accept the reality of your intent to get a divorce.
You can and maybe ought to be civil to each other, especially if there are children involved.
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