After realizing that you and your spouse will be getting a divorce, you may not initially feel up to doing much. Your relationship may have been tense leading up to the final decision, and the thought of going through the divorce process may seem overwhelming.
While it can be good to take some time for self-care, it can also be helpful to start preparing. Getting yourself organized for divorce can be a cathartic process for some and can make the prospect of divorce seem less daunting. Getting organized early may even help you receive better outcomes during your divorce.
You can control how prepared you are for the divorce process
If you are organized from the get go, you can provide your divorce team all the important facts and documents right away. This will allow your divorce team to work efficiently to develop the most appropriate strategy for your situation and begin implementing it right away.
Having all the important information in front of you can also help you make more informed decisions throughout the process. It can help you identify the outcomes you desire most, so you can avoid wasting your energy in pursuit of outcomes you do not care about as much.
Additionally, good organization can help you respond more quickly to any surprises that may come up during your divorce. There may be several factors in your divorce that are out of your control. However, you can control how prepared you are for the divorce process.
Get started by filing all your family’s important documents
The first steps toward getting organized for divorce include finding your family’s important documents and organizing them in a logical way. You should have your own copy of every important document, and you can group them in any way that makes sense to you, as long as you will be able to quickly find what you need.
Some important documents to make sure to collect, include:
- Bank statements
- Real estate deeds
- Loan documents
- Credit card statements
- Estate planning documents
- Insurance policies
- Monthly budget worksheet
- Proof of each spouse’s income
- Retirement account statements
- List of personal property
- Income tax returns from the past several years
Ending a marriage can be an emotional, but it is also business. Taking the time to organize for your divorce can meet both needs. It can sooth turbulent emotions, but it can also help you become better prepared for your divorce, which could contribute to the outcomes you receive.
