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Divorce isn’t easy for anyone. It’s an emotionally and psychologically draining process for all that go through it. However, women tend to have extra hurdles that they need to clear in the divorce process. Financial difficulties are one of the biggest challenges that women face when going through a divorce.
At Naked Divorce, we focus on the emotional and psychological effects of divorce, but we also offer practical advice that will make the divorce process easier. We have covered some of these points in a previous blog post Divorce Advice for Women.
In this post, we’re going to take a look at some of the key points to consider when it comes to divorce finances and a life after divorce for women.
INVESTMENTS & PROPERTY
Unfortunately, the laws surrounding the division of property in a divorce can vary from state to state and country to country. This makes it imperative to have a lawyer that can guide you through the local laws and customary practices. For instance, some states simply demand equitable joint asset division, which means they get split in a way that’s deemed fair according to circumstance; others simply split 50/50, while other states don’t have “no fault” laws which means the divorce will play no role in how the assets are split.
Financial assets like bonds and cash are often straightforward enough to split up once you and your ex-spouse have agreed on what’s equitable. The more complicated aspects come in with income-producing real estate, vacation homes, art, collectables, successful stock options and a business.
It’s best not to retain joint custody over investments and property. So it’s important that you get an independent, outside valuation done on your assets. This reduces the chance of conflict over them and it also ensures that you get fairly paid.
Your Family Home
One of the biggest financial mistakes that people make when they get a divorce, particularly women, is to keep hold of their family home when they can’t afford to. This is completely understandable; it’s the place where children may have been raised and many happy memories made – it’s a place that has significant emotional attachment. At the end of the day, however, it’s still an asset and you need to be honest about whether you can afford to keep it after your divorce.
If not, then you should get the property appraised right away and then your ex will either buy you out or you split what it fetches on the market (or whatever terms you have agreed to). Hopefully the divorce has been a fairly amicable one, as this means you’ll only need to get one appraisal done. If, however, you aren’t seeing eye to eye with your ex, it’s a better idea for each of you to get your own appraisals done and to meet somewhere in the middle.
Retirement Assets
This is a much more complicated aspect of divorce finance that you’ll need to consider and it’s best to involve your accountant and your lawyer from the start. Be sure to include all of your private or public retirement annuities, funds and whatever else you might have in the pipeline. Don’t forget about things like social security either, as you could be entitled to some of your ex’s benefits and it won’t impact their benefits in any way. Most of these assets have a minimum amount of years that you should have been married for, so be sure to check what that is first.
Create a Budget
You need to be clear on what kind of financing you are going to need every month after your divorce. Calculate your rent, phone contracts, bills, school fees, and more. Save every receipt and jot the numbers down in an Excel sheet to work out what your monthly budget is.
You’ll then be able to calculate whether you are going to be able to afford to cover this and it gives you a general direction on the amount of spousal support you should be seeking to do so.
Start Saving
No matter where you are in your divorce process, it’s essential that you know how much you’re going to be spending going forward and start to save to ensure you can manage this. Of course, if you aren’t currently employed, this is the time to seriously start thinking about re-entering the job pool.
Get the support you need from Naked Divorce
At the end of the day, divorce is one of the most difficult journeys anyone can take, but at Naked Divorce, we want you to know that there is certainly life after divorce for women. Don’t be afraid to reach out for help and support! Our Divorce Angels are ready to walk alongside you every step of the way.
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With you in service,
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