Choosing Divorce, Divorce Litigation, and Divorce Mediation – Taking Stock of Your Options, Part 5

This post is the fifth in a multi-part series on choosing divorce, divorce litigation, and divorce mediation. If you haven’t already read parts 1-4 I recommend you do before continuing.

Preparing for Divorce (continued)

Get your financial life in order, but avoid making any big decisions

It’s important you get an overall picture of your assets and obligations, and that you plan for your life after divorce financially. However, immediately before or during the divorce process is not a good time to make any big financial changes. This means no large expenditures, no changes to life insurance beneficiaries, wills, or retirement accounts. All of these entangled financial threads between you and your spouse will be sorted out through the divorce negotiations, so there’s no need to try and deal with them on your own.

It’s also not generally a good idea to make any financial changes that could be construed as punitive or reactionary against your spouse. New Mexico is a community property state, which means you can’t drain accounts or sell off assets to avoid losing them in the divorce. Attempting to do so is, at best, fruitless, and at worst makes it look like you’re trying to subvert the divorce process and the law.

Get help early and often

Divorce is difficult, but you don’t have to go through it alone. From lawyers, to mediators, to therapists, to certified divorce financial analysts, to child psychologists and behavioral experts, there are armies of well-qualified professionals ready to help you make your divorce as smooth and stress-free as possible. The first step is to find a good divorce attorney. Hiring or consulting with an attorney shouldn’t be considered aggressive or as a commitment to divorce, or to litigate your divorce. A good divorce attorney will help you lay all your options on the table, weigh their costs and benefits, and make the best long-term, big-picture decision for yourself and your family.

Check back soon for Choosing Divorce, Divorce Litigation, and Divorce Mediation – Taking Stock of Your Options, Part 6. In the meantime, check out our page on divorce mediation.

Divorce