What once was a happy marriage may end in divorce. It happens to couples every day, even those who imagined they would be together forever. If you find yourself in this situation, the following are some tips to make the process easier when it comes to dividing physical assets fairly.
Fair and Equal are Two Different Words
People often assume a fair division of marital assets during a divorce, meaning the assets will be equally split between the two parties. However, this is not always the case and each party must fully understand the laws of their state to determine how property will be divided amongst the parties named in the suit. In the event one party is unaware of the law, the other may try to take advantage of this ignorance and obtain more than he or she should.
Don’t let this happen. If there is any question as to how the assets should be divided, speak to an attorney. He or she can be of great help in explaining the law in the state where the divorce is occurring.
Include All Assets
One or both parties may try to hide assets from their partner and the court in an effort to keep more following the divorce. Doing so is never a wise move. If the other party or the court discovers this deception, it could come back to hurt the individual who engaged in the lie or cover up. It’s best to be up front and honest as the process moves forward, as a divorce is painful without any additional issues arising. Why bring more trouble to the process when there is truly no need to?
Treat the Other Person As You Would Want to Be Treated
Although it can be difficult to remain on good terms with the person you are divorcing, it is best to do so whenever possible. If a fight arises over the division of property, this drags the process out and can be very costly. Keep in mind that having a third party, whether this be the court, a mediator brought in for this purpose, or another individual, divide the assets could lead to one or both partners losing items they truly wanted to retain.
An additional benefit of resolving property division issues before the court must step in is it helps to reduce hard feelings between the two parties. This could be of great importance when there are children involved and the parents must continue to communicate and work together for the best interests of the children.
Let the Little Stuff Go
Don’t fight over the toaster that was given to you as a couple by your great aunt. A new appliance can be picked up at very little cost, so it’s simply not worth it to continue the process until every possession has been addressed. Try to focus on the large assets that were owned during the marriage.
While it can be difficult to set up a whole new household following the dissolution of the marriage, couples that try to agree on the division of property rather than fighting over every little thing find they have more peace once the process is complete. This can be of great help when it comes time to move forward as a single person once again.
Try to keep the process civil at all times. Although this may be hard to do, it’s one step a person won’t regret as life moves forward. While it would be nice if one could take their spouse for everything during a divorce, especially when there was an affair, abuse, or something of this nature that led to the dissolution of the marriage, this simply doesn’t happen anymore. Keep this in mind and make use of the above tips. Doing so makes the entire process slightly easier for all involved.
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