If you and your spouse have chosen divorce, you know it is time to move on with your separate lives. Unfortunately, finding a path forward can be just as difficult as making the decision to separate in the first place.
From complicated questions about dividing assets to the deeply emotional process of creating a workable parenting plan, the choices you make today may have a major impact on you, your spouse and your children for years to come.
Whether you expect to litigate or you want to try to negotiate a settlement out of court, visualizing your post-divorce life in practical terms may help you to create a roadmap to your future life that helps cut through the fog of seeming helplessness.
Create a negotiable wish list
Even if you settle amicably, you may have to compromise on many decisions about asset division, child/spousal support and parenting time. However, creating a wish list of hopes and expectations may help you to set a reasonable baseline. Important items to mention to your divorce attorney may include:
- Where you plan to live
- How you expect to support yourself
- What shared assets are personally important to you
- Whether your children have specialized care needs
- How extended family members contribute to childcare
Know that compromise can be power
Taking the time to create a list before heading into negotiations or litigation may also help you to identify potential points of dispute and agreement between you and your spouse. After making a practical assessment of what you really want or need, you may find that there are certain things you are willing to give up if it means gaining something else you value much more.