subject: Chandler Divorce Lawyer- Dividing Everything Fairly In Divorce [print this page] One of the things that, in preparation for meeting with an attorney, you should be doing is your homework. First make a list of all the assets acquired during your marriage.
And I mean everything. The house, the cars, the checking accounts, the savings accounts, the IRA, the retirement, the 401K, the second home, your stocks, your bonds, your mutual funds, your collectibles, your antiques. Everything. Remember, youve been married for a while. Youve acquired a lot. Start accounting for all of it.
Then start determining the values. So, for example, you have a personal property list that youve prepared. What are these things worth? Take a look at Ebay to see what theyre worth. You want to know what your cars and your boats are worth. Take a look at Kelly Blue Book.
And finally, whats your house worth? Take a look at a website like Zillow.com. Thats going to tell you. Then sit down and create a spreadsheet and ask yourself how you and your spouse are going to split the assets.
Secondly, after youve made that list, think about your debt. How much debt have you acquired during the marriage? Whats your mortgage? Whats its monthly payment? What are your credit cards and personal lines of credit?
Now, remember, I suggested that you should start closing some accounts that you share jointly in order to insure that your spouse doesnt incur any more debt. And open up your own lines of credit.
So now is a really good time to pull your credit report. You can get a free credit report at AnnualCreditReport.com. Review it and ask yourself how you and your spouse are going to split the debt.
And more importantly, stop incurring any debt if youre thinking about divorce. That way, when it comes to that point, when youre splitting it, you have less debt. Thats really where you need to be in your divorce.
So finally, after youve determined your debt, and determined your assets, calculate how youre going to split up all your property. I have a property division calculator on my website at CMThompsonLaw.com. Take a look at it. Review it. Put together your spreadsheets or view what your property division could be like.
Finally, consider whether your spouse may be entitled to spousal maintenance, which a lot of people refer to as alimony.
Also child support may be an issue. If you think that youre going to be paying your spouse for either spousal maintenance or child support or both, start collecting your pay checks and the pay checks of your spouse. Put together your tax returns and you can start your calculations by either using one of my alimony calculators or going online to the Arizona Child Support Calculator.
All of this information is that youre considering divorce. Become realistic about what youll get from the divorce in terms of assets. Consider what type of custody and visitation youre going to share with your spouse with regards to your children.
Once youve come to these decisions and educated yourself, you are really in a position to decide whether divorce is really for you or not. And again, relying on coaches like a marriage counselor, like a divorce counselor, an attorney, a CPA, a financial planner theyre all great people to get you moving in the right direction.
If youre really serious and giving divorce some thought, educate yourself to the best of your abilities by meeting with an attorney. An excellent divorce attorney will, in turn, give you great legal advice but also connect you with other people who will speak to the issues that are going to come up in your possible divorce.
Financial issues, debt issues, emotional issues, issues with regards to your children and family. So really look for the most qualified attorney that you can find in Arizona because your divorce can take up to a year.
So consider the fact that you may be spending just that much time with your lawyer. You need to know that theyre on your side and looking out for your best interests.
by: Christy Thompson
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