The biggest mistake that couples can ever make is to overlook their finances and be kept in the dark of what they could have. If your spouse has always been the one handling the finances in the family, you could be on the losing end, not knowing what assets and liabilities you have accumulated over time. In fact, such situation can be taken advantage of, allowing your spouse to have more hold of assets they’d choose to keep compared to assets that have been laid down on the plate for negotiations.
Becoming a Victim
Perhaps the only way that you can become a victim of your spouse is when you choose to entrust everything concerning your finances to them. Allowing them to make all the decisions as to what assets to keep and which ones to liquidate gives them all the power to manipulate the finances of the family. During the divorce settlement, it can be quite tough to negotiate on assets and liabilities when you know very little to nothing about the financial investments and savings of the family.
So not become a victim of by involving yourself in all the financial decisions made for the family. Whether it is to acquire a new property or to sell one to pay off debt, it is important that you know and understands everything, so you and your lawyer can act on it accordingly.
Mediation is not an option
No matter how hurt you may be, it is important that you carefully consider all intervention measures provided by the courts. An out of court settlement does not mean not hiring a divorce lawyer at all. It only means that you may choose to decide who keeps what by yourself with the help of your attorneys. Such scenario would be best to ensure that the courts will not end up deciding who holds what. Though settlement and mediation can be a very emotional time, it is important that you remain rational about the situation so you can choose to keep what’s rightfully yours.
Whether you are suspecting your spouse to be thinking about filing for divorce or not, it is best to keep yourself informed on the finances of the family. How much money comes in, how much money goes out and how much money is put into savings and investments should all be a part of your concern. Make yourself copies of the necessary files that pertain to the financial stability of the family to ensure that you and your divorce lawyer will know what you should be fighting for.