You shouldn’t post pictures of yourself flaunting the latest designer bag you’ve purchased or the fancy meals you’re having at restaurants on a daily basis if you are aiming for spousal support.
New York saw 1.8 divorces per 1,000 inhabitants back in 2020. Many people had to seek the help of a divorce lawyer in Brooklyn, NY to ensure they terminate their marriage successfully.
Although you may be eager to be free, there are still some things you should pay attention to unless you want the divorce settlement to force a financial burden upon you. The divorce itself is already stressful enough, and you don’t need more problems on the way.
If you want everything to go well on your end, here are some mistakes you should avoid in your divorce settlement:
- Getting Your Children Involved
Divorce is a difficult time for both spouses involved, even if this separation is the best decision. The children can especially feel the struggle – after all, they don’t want to see their caretakers living away from each other unless one spouse was making their life hard.
But many parents make the mistake of getting their kids involved in the divorce proceedings in order to get back at their former partner. Whether they succeed in that or not doesn’t matter, as the kids may end up suffering and be traumatized by this.
On top of that, doing this can bring financial issues for the responsible parent. Seeing that you are using the children this way, the mediator or judge might end up giving your ex full custody.
- Don’t Let Your Ex Control You Financially
In some marriages, one of the spouses is the one handling finances and any decisions surrounding them. During a divorce, this can turn out to be the worst scenario for you unless you are aware of the assets and income belonging to you and your former spouse. Your ex will end up having the upper hand in the matter, and you might become their financial victim.
This is why you should take action in advance before it’s too late. If you and your ex have assets or marital assets, be ready to reach out to the asset’s holder and obtain a restraining order in case the former partner has plans to liquidate or retitle the assets.
Besides that, you should obtain copies of every single important financial record, as well as tax returns, charge card statements, checking accounts, and any other marital lifestyle-related information.
- Sharing Too Much on Social Media
Image by Geralt, via Pixabay.com.
Social media is used for a lot of things. Some love it for communication or sharing pictures and videos, while others like to vent on their accounts. You might be in the latter category.
Venting during a divorce is understandable, but you should never go too far and share too much information online. Doing so could be used against you in court. Therefore, you shouldn’t mention the divorce online in the slightest – keep it private instead. It’s for the best.
But of course, this is not the only thing you shouldn’t share on social media during divorce settlements. Also, you shouldn’t post pictures of yourself flaunting the latest designer bag you’ve purchased or the fancy meals you’re having at restaurants on a daily basis if you are aiming for spousal support. It’ll come to bite you.
- Handling the Divorce Alone
Hiring a lawyer to help you with your divorce can be costly. In order to save money, you may be thinking of representing yourself. Unfortunately, this isn’t the best course of action. It can do more harm than good.
Your family law attorney can advise you on what to do and what not to do and can help you with paperwork and other things you need during the marriage termination. These attorneys are experts and have done this for years, and they are less likely to make mistakes than you. Unless you work in the family law field yourself, you may not know what to do during divorce settlements.
So, you should always consider the help of a lawyer.
- Not Considering Mediation or Arbitration
If you want to avoid the stress of going to court, you should consider mediation or arbitration.
Sadly, many spouses avoid these due to disagreements and end up going to court, which requires more time and money. This is why you shouldn’t refuse these types of alternative dispute resolutions. You’ll have more control over your family matters and outcomes, something that will not be possible when you are going to court in front of a judge.
Final Thoughts
Do you want your divorce settlement to be a good one? Then you should try your best to avoid the mistakes listed here. Also, don’t forget to consult with your lawyer because he/she has your best interest in mind.
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