10 Financial Mistakes Women Make During Divorce

Proudly to refuse child support - this is the most common female mistake, but far from the only one. Let's look at a dozen more wrong steps that turn a divorce into a financial catastrophe.

Mistake #1. Refuse child support

Our society is so structured that maintenance relations have gone beyond financial and even legal and are most often considered in a moral aspect. Proudly declare: "I do not need anything from you," - this, of course, is beautiful. But in this way you complicate the life of both yourself and the child, and not only in the material sense: in accordance with the Pennsylvania Family Laws, parents are required to support their minor children. Refusing to support the father, in fact, violate the rights of the child. And this can be used against you if there is a dispute about the child’s place of residence and the order of communication.

Mistake #2. Consider child support when planning your budget

Alimony is generally a very unreliable substance: many receive salaries in envelopes, many conduct gray business, some do not pay in principle. But the bailiffs are not really eager to catch defaulters. Therefore, alimony from an ex-husband is best seen as an additional and unstable income, not taking it into account in regular and mandatory payments (rent, education of children, food).

Mistake #3. Treat personal accounts as personal property

Everyone knows that all the property acquired during the marriage is a joint property of the spouses and is divided 50:50 upon divorce (even if one of the spouses has never worked). But for some reason, many women naively believe that bank accounts, or in any case, salary cards are not joint property! Indeed, they are. Everything that has accumulated on your (or husband's) salary card at the time of the divorce is also subject to a section. Just keep in mind.

Mistake #4. Do not share property immediately

Disputes on the division of the common property of spouses in accordance with Art. 21 of the Pennsylvania Family Laws are considered in a judicial proceeding irrespective of divorce in civil registry offices.

That is, you can get a divorce at the registry office and, even living separately, continue to use the car, apartment, and cottage purchased in a marriage. If you manage to resolve these issues peacefully, then the property can maintain the status of the joint for as long as you want... But the person on whom the car is registered can sell it at any time without asking permission from the former spouse. Real estate is more complicated, but if it was drawn up for one of the spouses, then the transaction may be conducted behind your back. It will be difficult to challenge it in court after the fact. Therefore, it is much more sensible immediately after a divorce to go to court to allocate shares in the common property. And you can still use it together if the relationship is good. And remember that the limitation period for the division of property acquired in marriage is only three years.

Mistake #5. Spend all the money on a lawyer

The process of dividing property can take years - and all this time you will have to pay for the services of an expensive lawyer. As a result, it may well turn out that everything that you managed to sue will go to pay for its services. Therefore, start with a simple and specific: determine what you would like to receive as a result of a divorce - and consult a lawyer for advice to find out how realistic your requests are. Usually, if it is not about ownership of factories, newspapers, ships, but rests on an apartment-car-cottage, then for success in court it is enough to pay one or two legal consultations on specific issues. The alternative option is to try an online divorce in PA that will help you to collect all needed divorce papers for filing to the Court.

Mistake #6. Get one lawyer for two

If you can agree so easily, then it’s best to do without a lawyer at all. And if it’s not so easy, then you need to understand that you and the former have a clear conflict of interest - and the lawyer is likely to protect the rights of only one of the parties.

Mistake #7. Forget about insurance and other benefits

Perhaps (even most likely) you yourself did not insure your life, health or property. But sometimes good employers do it. All that was required of you was to appoint a beneficiary for the insured event. Usually, a spouse is appointed as such. Naturally, with a divorce, few people recall this. But anything can happen, and at the most unexpected moment... Therefore, even before you file for a divorce, do not forget to make changes to all insurance contracts - let your parents or children become beneficiaries. If you have already made a will, then do not forget to make changes to it, either.

Mistake #8. Ignore Information Security

If your ex knows the passwords from your computer (or if the computer is not password-protected at all) and the pin-ups of your bank cards, you may expect unpleasant surprises such as debiting funds or transferring them to an unknown account... So change the passwords, pin-codes and code words wherever possible.

Mistake #9. Try to hide joint property

Cash-out personal accounts, drive a car to my grandmother in Texas, sew up jewelry in a mattress... Of course, many do this, and sometimes it works. But if this turns out, then your civil case will go into the category of criminal.

Mistake #10. Consider Debts Common

Debts, like the property of spouses, are indeed considered common. But debt obligations (especially to the bank) can be addressed to the debtor (or its guarantor), which is easier to get. And he, having settled with the creditor, may in court demand from the ex-spouse half the amount paid. That is, if the ex-husband, for example, goes abroad, it is possible that you alone will have to pay common debts. That is why divorce proceedings are so difficult in the presence of a mortgage.