3 Things Your Divorce Attorney Wished You Knew

Family law can be a challenging but rewarding area of the law in which to practice.  While I enjoy solving people’s problems, the best way to solve some problems is to avoid the problem in the first place.  I believe the following three principles are not only sound legal advice but may also save your marriage:

1) Don’t Live Above Your Means

One of the most common reasons cited for divorce is financial stress.  In this day and age, too many people live above their means and spend their very last dollar on things like a bigger house, a fancier car, or a dream vacation.  Ultimately, such amenities are unnecessary, especially if the stress caused by never seeming to have enough money places a strain on your marriage.  Sometimes less is more and that is the case when it comes to spending money.  Furthermore, divorce, while always difficult, is easier to endure if you are on solid financial footing.  Therefore, it is a good idea to avoid needless expenditures and always try to live within your means.

2) Avoid Unsecured Debt and Debt on Depreciating Assets (Especially Joint Debt)

If you do not live within your means, the natural byproduct is debt.  I have always found divorce cases to be more difficult when there is a lot of debt to divide, especially unsecured debt and debt owed on depreciating assets.  Furthermore, joint car loans and joint credit cards are especially troublesome.  To divide joint debt in a divorce, the debt must either be refinanced or paid off.  Paying off joint debt, especially in a lump sum, can be difficult if the parties do not have many assets.  It is also very difficult to refinance joint debt on a depreciating asset, such as a car, because the amount owed is often more than the value of the car.  So, it is best to try to avoid debt altogether.  However, if that is impossible, at the very least, avoid obtaining joint debt with a spouse (not including a mortgage) because joint debt is very difficult to divide in a divorce.

3) Poor Decisions Have Negative Consequences

This final principle can be applied to almost any area of life.  If a person consistently makes poor or ill-advised decisions, that person will likely have to endure the negative consequences.  Divorce is ultimately the by-product of series of poor decisions, whether they are poor financial, spiritual, or emotional decisions.  While humans are fallible and everyone makes mistakes, we can all make better decisions in all aspects of life with God’s help.  Beginning to make better decisions just might save your marriage or at the very least, make a divorce easier to endure.

If you have a question regarding a divorce or family law matter, contact one of the experienced attorneys at Trinity Law today.  Our attorneys routinely handle family law cases in York, Lancaster and surrounding counties. Call us today at 717-843-8046.