The Adoption Process

No one enters into a marriage wanting it to fail. However, people do get divorced, and it changes their lives forever. Unfortunately, it isn't just your relationship status that changes when you get divorced. Everything from the way your children are raised to your finances are affected. So, if you believe that your marriage is failing and divorce is unavoidable, you need to prepare yourself. You might not be able to control everything, but doing these three things will help make the process smoother.

Build a Nest Egg

It's imperative that you have access to your own money before the divorce process begins. Not only will you need to have money available to pay your divorce attorney, you'll need to have access to money to pay bills, buy food, and support your children in case your spouse moves out and discontinues all financial support. If you don't have your own source of income, you should start looking for a job or another way to earn money. At the very least, cut back on some of your family's expenses so that you can put some money aside little by little. If you have a job, start putting back a small portion of your wages to compensate for the loss of your spouse's income.

Understand Your Household Budget and Expenses

If your spouse manages your household budget and expenses, you might not understand every little detail of your monthly finances. Unfortunately, you need to know exactly how much money comes into your household each month, the amount of debt you and your spouse have, and the amount of your monthly bills. Not only does knowing this information help your divorce attorney determine whether or not you could qualify for spousal support, it ensures you know what bills you need to pay if your spouse moves out of the house.

Take an Inventory of Your Possessions

During a divorce, it's common for household and family possessions to be divided between both parties. In order to do this fairly, you need to take inventory of your household. This doesn't mean that you need to write down the titles to every DVD your family owns, but you need to have a good idea of what items you've purchased together. Start by cataloging any large assets you have, including:

• Real estate
• Vehicles
• Stocks, bonds, and CDs
• Retirement accounts
• Joint bank accounts
• Insurance policies
• Art, collectibles, and jewelry

As you're creating your list of assets, take note of anything in your home that has sentimental value to you or any other items that you'd like to keep after the divorce is final.

Going through a divorce isn't typically pleasant, but it doesn't need to be a horrible experience either. As long as you consult a good divorce attorney and prepare yourself for life during and after your divorce, you should be able to manage your stress levels easily.