If you’re a stay-at-home mom and considering divorce, you may feel dependent on your spouse’s income and worry that you have no good financial options if you leave. However, with careful planning and the support of a divorce lawyer who values the work of stay-at-home moms, you can leave your marriage and move on with your life.
Prepare for Your Divorce
You can plan for your life after your marriage ends by understanding what will likely happen during the divorce proceedings. Specifically, your divorce agreement may help set you up for the future by:
- Dividing your property. Your property includes all of your marital property. Typically, marital property includes your family home and anything else you purchased as a couple since the date of your marriage. For example, your household furnishings, your cars, retirement accounts, and investments may be marital property. You and your spouse will have the opportunity to divide your property, but if you can’t agree, the court will make an equitable distribution of your marital property. Any property that you owned before marriage or that is classified as separate property should be yours to keep after a divorce.
- Providing you with spousal support. Spousal support or alimony may be awarded in a Virginia divorce if one spouse makes significantly more money than the other or to compensate one spouse for unpaid contributions to the family and home. This support can be very important for stay-at-home moms. When deciding on spousal support payments, the court may consider how long you were married, your education level, how difficult it will be for you to find work quickly, and the lifestyle you maintained as a married couple. Even if you don’t want to be financially dependent on your ex-husband forever, spousal support can provide financial security to you as you transition to your new life.
- Providing child support. Your children deserve financial support from both parents. Virginia child support guidelines establish a formula for calculating child support. The formula takes into account different factors, and an experienced lawyer can help you understand how child support should be paid.
- Establishing a predictable child custody agreement. As a parent, this may be critical for you. You want to know when your children will be with you and when they will be with their other parent. In addition to providing you and your children with peace of mind and stability, a predictable schedule may be important in determining your work hours if you re-enter the workforce.
Once these things are in place, you can consider what happens next. You may be able to continue as a stay-at-home mom, you may go back to work, or you may go back to school.
Contact a Fairfax, Virginia Divorce Attorney Today
Our Northern Virginia divorce lawyers are here to help. You shouldn’t be penalized for the time you spent out of the workforce to take care of your children. We will answer all of your questions, address all of your concerns, and offer realistic expectations about the divorce process and possible outcomes.
As you prepare for your divorce, we encourage you to:
- Think about what you want your life to be like after your divorce. Where do you want to live? Will you work? Create a budget to reflect your new costs and income.
- Gather copies of your financial documentation, including bank accounts, investment accounts, mortgages, and tax returns.
- Decide what is most important to you in a divorce settlement and what you are willing to negotiate.
We want to help you develop a plan that is right for you and your children, and we will fight to see that you and your children are treated fairly. Contact us today to set up an initial case evaluation in a comfortable and supportive environment with an attorney who will fight aggressively to protect your interests.
Related links: |