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Thursday 13 September 2018

Why You Need A Before, During, And After The Divorce Financial Planning Worksheet

By Stephanie King


Nobody goes into a marriage thinking it is going to end in the courtroom. Unfortunately that is an all too common occurrence. It can be difficult to think clearly and make coherent plans during such a traumatic time, but experts say it is important to think about the future in order to prevent financial hardship. In order to get your fair share in a settlement, you need to consider sitting down and creating a before, during and after the divorce financial planning worksheet.

One of the first questions your attorney will ask you is how much you know about your finances. You will need to gather all the documentation you can find in order to prove the accuracy of assets, income, and expenses. This includes titles and deeds for real estate, stock certificates, mortgage papers, and several months worth of checking and savings account statements.

You need to gather your W-2 and 1099s along with tax returns for the previous year. The attorney will want to know about social security, unemployment benefits, pension payments and any child support you may be getting from a previous relationship. You will have to add every expense you have to your worksheet. This will include the house payment, car payment, childcare, utilities, insurance, entertainment, and any medical expenses not covered by your insurance.

It may take several meetings between your attorney and yourself and your spouse and his attorney in order to iron out the details regarding joint assets. Everything must be itemized so everyone understands what's at stake. Included in this will be any retirement plans.

If business interests are going to be transferred, you don't want to do anything that will forfeit tax benefits. A lot of women make the mistake of accepting a quick settlement in order to get the process over as quickly as possible. What ends up happening in many of these instances is an unfair dispersal of assets that makes life post-divorce much more difficult than necessary.

Once the divorce is finalized, you will be responsible for your own finances and keeping track of things like your credit score and monthly payments. Setting up worksheets for income and expenses can be extremely helpful, especially if you relied on your partner to handle the finances when you were married. Practical matters like changing your will and putting the house, car, and other tangible assets in your name have to be done.

It might be a good idea to set up new checking and savings accounts instead of keeping the old ones even if you are the only person on the account. Your ex-spouse may have account numbers that could cause confusion if he tried to get access to your personal information. You will have to meet with your tax advisor to sort out any tax liability caused by the transfer of assets.

Divorces are difficult. It's important to take care of yourself emotionally and financially. The more realistic and organized you are about your new situation, the more likely you are to get off to a good start in your new life.




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