So you’ve decided you want a divorce. Now what?
It can be emotionally draining to come to the conclusion that you want a divorce but, once that decision is made, you need to start preparing for the road ahead.
Here are some of the key things you need to consider once you’ve decided that you want a divorce.
Talk To Your Partner
First things first – talk to your partner. They need to know about how you feel and be given a chance to respond.
It may be daunting but getting it out in the open is the first step on the road to moving on.
Trial Separation
Next, you could consider a trial separation. This could help you decide if divorcing is what you really want and how it might potentially work – practically and emotionally.
Make a note of your separation date – that is the day on which one or both of you decided that the relationship was over and communicated this fact to the other. You don’t have to separate as in one person leaves the home, as there can be “separation under the one roof”. But the day when one of you considered the relationship to have been over is important as it can impact the timeline of when you can legally apply for a divorce.
Attempt Counselling
If you and your partner are agreeable, couples’ counselling could be something that helps you decide whether or not divorce is the right solution for you.
It’s not for everyone, but if both of you are happy to give it a chance it is something worth considering.
Think About Your Finances
While it’s definitely not easy, try not to let emotions get in the way of some of the practical factors you need to consider. Look at your finances and try to work out how you would survive financially if you were to get divorced.
If you’re a family that’s reliant on two incomes, you need to know that you’d be able to survive on your income alone or that your ex is prepared to provide financial assistance for a time. What sort of lifestyle changes might you have to make in order to get by or live the life you want to live?
Centrelink payments that may be available to you, so investigate these options thoroughly.
Consider Living And Child Care Arrangements
Another practical side to getting a divorce, especially for parents, is what will your living and childcare arrangements look like?
Who is likely going to be the main carer, and what sort of sacrifices will that involve?
If you can talk to your partner about this, it can make life a lot easier if you can come to a mutual agreement on when and where your children will spend their time.
Work Out How You Will Divide Your Assets
Make a list of all your assets and look at how you might fairly divide them if you get a divorce.
Assets could include your home, car, furniture and savings, but also things like investments, superannuation funds, and even your pets. You can do a financial settlement at any time after separation, so you don’t have to wait for a formal divorce before getting finances sorted.
Try Mediation Before Going To Court
Before you head down the legal route, hire a family lawyer and take your divorce proceedings to court, stop. Have you considered something more amicable, like family mediation?
Mediation can not only save you lots of money, but also months if not years of your time and enormous stress.
Here at Move On, our family mediation services in Perth start from just $1125 per person (plus GST). That’s a whole lot cheaper than the going rate for most family lawyers in Perth.
Family mediation can help you work things out fairly and quickly, allowing you to move on a lot faster than if you went through the Family Courts.
Get in touch with us today and find out how we can help you move on.