At the start of each new year, there are often many divorces. People want to have a fresh start, so it makes sense that January, and the months of late winter and early spring, are filled with people looking to divorce.
Since the 1990s, divorce rates in Massachusetts have fallen to 2.1 per 1,000 people in 2018, showing that fewer people divorce overall. Massachusetts is largely insulated from divorce thanks to higher ages at the time of marriage and more stable finances, but that doesn’t mean that you’ll want to remain married. If you don’t, then you should know what to expect.
Preparing to divorce? Get ready with these tips
If you are getting ready to divorce, you can consider a few tips that will help you prepare.
- Get your documents in order
The first step is to get your documents in order. Collect documents such as paystubs, your bank statements, savings account statements, information about investments, receipts for personal, private property and more. You’ll want to have as many of these documents in your hands as possible to avoid issues like being locked out of accounts or being unable to access documents your spouse has after you talk about divorcing them.
- Know your legal position ahead of time
You do need to get to know the legal position you’ll be in ahead of time. For example, you need to know that Massachusetts is an equitable distribution state, meaning that you and your spouse have to split the value of your marital estate fairly but not necessarily equally. For many people, this still means a 50/50 split of the marital estate, but not for everyone.
- Prepare your finances
Getting your finances in order ahead of time is a massive help. Have a bank account in your own name, set money aside, and generally be ready to pay for items on your own and not out of shared accounts.
These are three steps you can take to start preparing for your divorce. Doing these things will put you in a better position as you begin to move forward with your divorce case.
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