We dedicate a lot of our blog posts to divorce tips ”“ ways to plan for your finances, the benefits of prenups, things like that. This week, we’d like to take the opposite angle. These tips are terrible. You will regret it if you listen to the tips in this post. Seriously, don’t do it.
Really Though…These Are Bad Tips & We’ll Explain Why
- Your spouse is taking his or her sweet time getting out of the house. It’s making you crazy and the kids are not benefiting from it, either. Simple! Are you going to be home when your spouse goes to work? Change the locks when he or she leaves! Why you should not change the locks: Until a divorce decree is finalized and property is divided, your spouse still has a right to the marital home. You need court permission to have your spouse removed from the home. You don’t want the courts thinking you are unreasonable ”“ it will only hurt you in the end. And your spouse will probably be pretty angry too, so that definitely won’t help the divorce.
- Stay together for the sake of the children. You and your spouse can handle a little animosity as long as the kids get to stay at home and keep their school and friends. Why you should not stick it out until the kids leave the nest: While it is true that for some couples, staying together for the sake of the children can work out, it sets a bad example for the children. It teaches them to be okay with toxic relationships. It exposes them to future fighting which can be detrimental to their self-esteem. If you can make it work, then we can’t tell you not to do it. But often, separating is smarter.
- Your spouse will go after your money, so you should find a place to stash some of it to make sure you are financially stable after divorce. Why hiding marital assets is bad: We’ve only talked about it time and time again. Hiding assets is fraud. Most of the time, the truth will come out. When it comes out, it looks bad on you. Very bad. Just be up front, and plan ahead.
- When your spouse files for divorce, act quick ”“ get in those joint bank accounts and take the money before he or she can. Why emptying accounts is terrible: Same reason as hiding assets. It’s not yours ”“ it belongs to your spouse too. Even if you suspect your spouse is planning to do the same thing to you, don’t do it. If your spouse does, you can use that against him or her in court.
There’s plenty more where this came from, but that’ll do for this week.
