In an ideal world, you would be able to get through your divorce without having to appear before a Florida judge. However, there is a possibility that your spouse won’t negotiate a settlement in good faith, and this means that you’ll need to dissolve your marriage through a formal trial.
Your attorney will want to know everything about your finances
At a minimum, your lawyer will want to see recent tax returns, pay stubs and bank statements. If you are self-employed, it is often a good idea to provide a profit and loss statement to your attorney. In the event that your
spouse runs a business, you should provide as much information about its current financial position as possible. Finally, you should not hesitate to reveal credit card, student loan or other debt balances that are held jointly with your spouse.
What you should keep after the divorce
It is important to keep a copy of the final divorce decree after a judge has handed down its ruling. This document will outline how assets are to be split, how parenting duties should be allocated and contain other useful information. It may also be a good idea to keep copies of child support, spousal support or other types of payments made after your marriage ends.
Strategies for keeping important records organized
Ideally, you will keep important records in a binder that is kept in a secure location such as a home safe or safe deposit box. Alternatively, you can choose to keep these documents on a computer that is protected by a password. Your
divorce attorney may also be willing to keep copies of critical records in their office.
