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6. Make photocopies of every family financial record you can find. Canceled checks, bank statements, tax returns, life insurance policesif it's there, copy it. You may never need this information, but if you do, it's good to have it. |
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7. Take stock of your family's valuables. Inventory your safety deposit box or family safe and take photographs of the contents. Do the same with jewelry or any furniture, paintings, or other items of value. You needn't list every worn out piece of furniture, but anything with a value of more than $300 should be included. Property insurance policies can be very helpful here, because many companies ask you to list the valuables you want insured. Some people keep a list of belongings in a safe, also for insurance purposes. If you've done that, start with that list. There's no need to reinvent the wheel. What stocks, checking accounts, savings accounts, and Christmas club accounts do either of you have? Do you have a stockbroker? What about life insurance and health insurance? Get detailed information on every policy you jointly or individually own. And remember, get the name and phone number of your insurance broker now. |
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8. Learn how much it costs to run your household now. Whether you plan to stay in the home or leave, unless you know what the monthly costs are, you won't know how much money you need. If you're the one who pays the monthly bills, your job is easy. If you haven't been the one to pay the bills, look through a checkbook to find the expenseshow much is the monthly rent or mortgage; utilities, including electricity, heat, and phone; and sundry costs from snow plowing in winter to gardening in spring. One woman we know, a well-educated social worker who had a full-time career, did not know the first thing about the family's monthly expenses because her husband's secretary made out the checks and paid the bills from the office. She was embarrassed to confess her ignorance, but she is hardly alone. The point is, even if this woman had not been contemplating divorce, she would have been well-advised to learn these basic details of her everyday existencesuch facts simply belong in every adult's arsenal of life knowledge. |
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9. Determine where you will live following separation. If you're the spouse who plans to move out, decide where you are going to live and figure out how much it will cost you on a month-by-month basis beforehand. Maybe you plan to move in with your romantic interest? Although that may be temptingit may be the reason you want to divorceit may also be a case of going from the frying pan into the fire. How is your spouse going to react when you want to bring the children there? Will this make your case a thousand times more difficult to settle? Will your spouse now have an adultery claim against you that can hurt you later on? If you answered any of these questions with a yes or an I don't know, move somewhere else. Look through the real estate advertisements to learn about rents. Consider what it will cost to move and calculate start-up expenses, including telephone installation and turning on electricity and cable. |
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