3 Ways To Protect Yourself Before And During A Divorce

There are many people who choose to get a divorce. Divorces are incredibly common, especially among individuals who are in their second marriage. This is why it is important that all married couples understand that a divorce is likely, and so they need to prepare themselves so that they don't experience too much emotional and financial pain. Here are some things you can do to protect yourself.

1. Get A Prenuptial Agreement

If you are not yet married, you should consider getting a prenuptial agreement. These agreements will only serve to protect you later on. For example, if you have a lot of assets or have a good deal of wealth from an inheritance or a business venture, you should get an agreement to help protect yourself. The great thing about a prenuptial agreement is that it will lay out what assets were yours before the marriage so that if the marriage does dissolve, you can get what is rightfully yours back.

In addition, if this is a second marriage, you should definitely get a prenuptial agreement. This is one time where having an agreement is strongly advised, since you probably have children and property from your prior marriage that needs to be protected.

2. Avoid Using The Divorce Proceedings To Punish Your Spouse

When the divorce starts you need to change the way that you think about the legal proceedings. The time you spend in the lawyer's office is strictly business. You just need to figure out what is best for yourself and fight to take care of your interests. If your main motivation is to punish your spouse, it will never work out the way you want it to. In addition, it will take forever to resolve the divorce because nothing will be good enough. Even if you get a fair and even settlement, you may want more, not because you need it, but because you want your spouse to hurt. This is a dangerous road and should be avoided.

3. Prepare Your Finances

Lastly, make sure that you are protecting your personal finances. You should do everything that you can in the months leading up to the divorce to get some money personally. Most likely the majority of your finances are shared, and if you and your spouse's names are on every account, it could mean that you won't get the money that you need. So set up a personal account in your name only and start setting money aside.

By doing these things you can protect yourself. For more information, contact local professionals like Margit M. Hicks, PA Attorney at Law.