Your spouse has filed for divorce. They claim the real love of your life is your business, and you treat them as an afterthought.
As a professional, you know the importance of preparing for a presentation. If you leave it to the last minute or turn up at the meeting thinking you can wing it, things will likely go badly. Yet despite this, many professionals fail to put in enough planning before their divorce hearing. Presenting poorly at work might cost you a contract. Turning up unprepared for your divorce hearing could cost you far more.
Getting the information you need together for divorce takes time
Here are some things to start compiling evidence for as soon as you know you will divorce:
- Your schedules: You suspect your spouse intends to argue she should get primary custody because you are always away on business trips. While it might feel like that to her, if you check the last few years’ calendars, you may find you spend far more time at home with the kids than she thinks.
- Your income: Your spouse believes you have an endless supply of money and will be seeking a large payout. While you might own three businesses, it does not mean they make money. If they are in the red or barely turning over, produce figures to show that.
- Your assets and debts: Living in a big house or driving a fancy car does not mean that you have a lot of marital assets. If the house has 28 years left on the mortgage, and you have only paid three installments of the car loan, they belong more to the lender than you. When you subtract your debts from your assets, the wealth to divide may be far less than it appears.
The better you prepare for your divorce, the better your chances of getting the outcome you need. The sooner you can get started, the less of a headstart you give your spouse.