Breaking up is never easy to do. Deciding to end your marriage can stir up emotions and sometimes, your emotions can cause you to make some decisions you were never meant to make. These emotional decisions can affect your finances and the outcome of your divorce.
Here are the top five highly charged emotional decisions to avoid when going through a divorce so that you don’t have to face any hardships during your divorce process.
1. Texting/Emailing with your ex: Electronic communications leave a digital trail, which can later be used as evidence in divorce proceedings. A study from the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML) stated that 94% of matrimonial lawyers have seen an increase in digital communications being entered into evidence in divorce proceedings. So, next time you want to send an angry text or e-mail to your ex, sleep on it. You may think more clearly after a good night’s sleep and avoid having an emotionally charged response that could be brought up in divorce court.
2. Avoid Social Media: Social media have also become a popular source of evidence in divorce cases. It is important to refrain from posting anything that may deem inappropriate, inconsistent, or compromising. Like texts and e-mails, everything you post or share on social media leaves a digital trail, and can be used as evidence against you in a trial. In addition, deleting previous posts once your divorce is underway could be viewed as destroying evidence. It is always a good idea to think twice before over-sharing on social media. Your words and pictures may come back to haunt you.
3. Dating: Divorce proceedings can be a long and drawn-out process, but starting a new relationship before you’ve legally dissolve a previous one, could jeopardize your case. In many states, dating before your divorce is final can be considered adultery and affect your divorce outcomes. If you wish to enter into a new relationship while going through a divorce, it is important that you consult with your divorce attorney to determine how best to proceed and inform your ex so that you may not face any legal proceedings in near future.
4. Snooping or Spying on an Ex: It is hard to resist the urge to know what your ex is up to, especially if he or she initiated the divorce and you are left with unanswered questions and raw emotions, or suspect infidelity. But beware! You may think you are innocently “keeping up” with your ex, by accessing their e-mail or social media accounts, but these actions could be used against you. A few years ago, a Michigan man faced felony charges after he accessed his wife’s e-mail account to gather proof of her extra-marital affair.
5. Shopping: While many view shopping as a form of therapy and claim it makes them feel better, you should proceed with caution when going through a divorce. It is not a good idea to intentionally spend your joint assets as a revenge tactic or as a way to prevent your spouse from having access to these funds. It is important to show a history of financial stability and responsibility when preparing a divorceOtherwise, this can cause many things against you in the court and many other places where you don’t want to get exposed or emotionally damaged.
Following these steps can help you to ease your pain in your most difficult times, also some of the above points may seem too hard for some people but keeping control on your anger can help you in further ease of your pain and legal proceedings in court which can help you financially and emotionally both.
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