{"id":7640,"date":"2025-09-12T18:54:51","date_gmt":"2025-09-12T18:54:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.amandaspaldinglaw.net\/?page_id=7640"},"modified":"2025-09-12T19:10:15","modified_gmt":"2025-09-12T19:10:15","slug":"prepare-divorce","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.amandaspaldinglaw.net\/?page_id=7640","title":{"rendered":"How to prepare for a Divorce"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>BEFORE THE DIVORCE<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>CONSIDER MARRIAGE COUNSELING<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>CONTACT AN ATTORNEY<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>OBTAIN PO. BOX TO RECEIVE ANY PERSONAL MAIL<br>LEGAL DOCUMENTS<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Obtain a copy of your marriage certificate<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Make a copy of any prenuptial or post-nuptial agreements<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Make a copy of licenses<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Make copy of trust documents<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Make copies of any will executed during marriage<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Make copies of any other documents that you feel could be important to the process<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Update your will.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>DURING THE SEPARATION<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>BANKS AND CREDIT CARDS<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Make a list of all bank accounts<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Make a list of all credit cards<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Confirm current balance<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Obtain copies of statements for the past year<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Confirm login information for joint accounts<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Open a new checking and savings account in your name<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Put money in your new account to pay living expenses and any emergencies for a few months<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Apply for a credit card in your own name if you do not already have one<br>BILLS AND FINANCES<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Make a list of all monthly bills that are paid by you and your spouse<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Obtain statements for the past year<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Confirm the current balance<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Confirm account numbers<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Confirm access information<br>MARITAL HOME<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Make copies of mortgage statements for the past 6 months<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Confirm account number<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Obtain bank loan and mortgage information<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Take pictures of each room and its contents in the home<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Make copies of payment statements<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Make a list of the assets<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Obtain a copy of your homeowner&#8217;s or Renter&#8217;s insurance policy<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Make a copy of leasing agreements<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Make a copy of real estate tax bill<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Make a list of monthly expenses<br>MOVING<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Research apartments or homes for rent. If you have children keep in mind school districts<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Property<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Obtain copies of deeds<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Confirm bank loan information<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Take pictures of the property<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Obtain a current market value appraisal for all real estate owned<br>VEHICLES<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Confirm loan information<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Confirm account numbers<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Obtain copy of titles<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Obtain an estimate of the value of your vehicle<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Obtain a copy of the declaration sheet for all auto insurance policies<br>CHILDREN<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Obtain school Information<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Update school if address changes<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Make a copy of your child&#8217;s class schedule<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Make a list of after school activities<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Contact the school if there are any changes to address, or transportation<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Request copies of child care expenses<br>DEBTS<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Make a list of any debts you or your spouse have<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Confirm amount owed<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Confirm account numbers<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Call any &#8220;joint&#8221; creditors and ask what actions you should take to protect your interests during divorce and to prevent any adverse consequences to your credit report<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>TAX RETURNS<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Gather tax return information for the past 3 years<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>INCOME INFORMATION<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Obtain a copy of your W-2s or 1099s for the past 3 years<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Obtain a copy of your spouse&#8217;s W-2s or 1099s for the past 3 years, if you have access<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Obtain copies of your paystubs for the previous 6 months<br>EMPLOYER BENEFITS<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Make a list of employer-provided benefits<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Obtain copy of disability insurance policy<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Obtain a copy of life insurance<br>CREDIT REPORT<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Request a copy of your credit report. This will show all debts and accounts<br>RETIREMENT ACCOUNTS<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Obtain current balance for any 401k accounts or retirement accounts<br>INVESTMENT ACCOUNTS<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Obtain current balance statements for all stock, bond, and investment accounts<br>PASSWORDS<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Change your passwords to all of your social media, e-mail, and online accounts<br>OBTAIN NEW E-MAIL ACCOUNT<br>HEALTH INSURANCE<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Obtain copy of health insurance policy<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>INVESTMENT ACCOUNTS<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Obtain current balance statements for all stock, bond, and investment accounts<br>PASSWORDS<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Change your passwords to all of your social media, e-mail, and online accounts<br>OBTAIN NEW E-MAIL ACCOUNT<br>HEALTH INSURANCE<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Obtain copy of health insurance policy<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Obtain copy of health savings account<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Make a copy of health insurance documents<br>PERSONAL PROPERTY<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Make a list of all assets such as furniture, art, and jewelry<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Calculate the approximate value of each item<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Make a list of items that are important to you and would like to keep<br>POWER OF ATTORNEY<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Determine whether you need to revoke any power of attorney documents that name your spouse as your agent<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>BEFORE THE DIVORCE DURING THE SEPARATION BANKS AND CREDIT CARDS INCOME INFORMATION INVESTMENT ACCOUNTS<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-7640","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.amandaspaldinglaw.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7640","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.amandaspaldinglaw.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.amandaspaldinglaw.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.amandaspaldinglaw.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.amandaspaldinglaw.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7640"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.amandaspaldinglaw.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7640\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7669,"href":"https:\/\/www.amandaspaldinglaw.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7640\/revisions\/7669"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.amandaspaldinglaw.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7640"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}