Signing your final Divorce papers can bring on a whole range of emotions. Anger, relief, fear, disappointment, unhappiness, plus many others. And you may feel various combinations of those emotions.
The one thing you shouldn’t feel on signing: Finished. Because there are still plenty of things you need to do to protect yourself, and make sure you’ve gotten everything you’re entitled to.
Attorney Karen Svendsen Balzano offers a complete run down in this piece from betterlifeafterdivorce.com. And whether you’ve recently completed your Divorce, or it’s still in your future, you should read her entire article. Here are the important topics she covers:
- Read your Divorce agreement
- Split your bank and investment accounts according to your divorce agreement
- Update vehicle titles
- If one of you is keeping the home, make sure the deed and mortgage are correct
- Prepare a living will, health care proxy, and power of attorney
- Update beneficiaries on your investment accounts and insurance policies
- Make sure you have health insurance
- Review your insurance policies
- Get new bank accounts and your own credit cards; close joint accounts
- Create a budget; work with a financial advisor
- Update your employer; possibly change your tax withholding status
- Change your online passwords; get a new email address
- Update your utility companies
The sooner you accomplish these tasks, the better. Fight the urge to procrastinate; taking care of these issues is an important part of moving on, which helps propel you toward your brighter future.
