Trying to Delay Your Divorce? It’s Probably Not The Best Idea…

Sometimes when couples have decided that they are going to take the plunge and file for divorce, there is a short (or long) time period of separation where they live apart from each other but have not made any official, legal declarations of starting a divorce proceeding. It’s one thing to take a couple month apart from each other to figure out the minor details and get everything in order before consulting a divorce attorney and beginning the stressful process of divorce, but some of these separations can last for years, and this can make things a big complicated.

Living apart may seem like the path of least resistance, but if your ultimate goal is divorce, only a formal agreement will be the thing that defines the terms of your separation. Long term separation can mean a lot of unpleasantness and financial problems that could have been easily avoided. Here are some reasons why delaying a divorce procedure can often make the situation worse:

Risk of Opportunity to Hide Assets

Finances are a big part of a divorce and one of the major stressors of the process. The more time goes by, the more chances your spouse may have to hide assets. This is an unfortunate situation, but it happens. More time gives them the chance to make sure that certain assets are suddenly unavailable when the time to negotiate a divorce settlement comes around.

The Space Gets Bigger

The gap between you and your spouse will only get bigger the more time you have between announcing that you want a divorce and actually going through with it. These days, weeks, months, and years could be filled with stress, miscommunication, pain and panic – a range of emotions all of the time. You want your goal to be to break up in a positive way, especially if kids are involved, so dragging it out is only going to make it worse. Every day you delay the process, the less important your goal of divorce is. You should each want to move on with your lives, so get the process started already.

Circumstances May Change, And So Will Your Settlement
Your original divorce settlement is based on your and your spouse’s current financial situation. If too much time passes before finalizing a divorce, circumstances can change drastically. A spouse could lose their job, become ill, go on disability or experience other changes during the separation. These kind of things could affect alimony, child support and other things in your original settlement. To avoid having to make last minute or constant changes, it would be wise to speed up the process.

Your Spouse Could Find A New Lover
In the beginning of a separation/divorce, the couples will likely prefer to live away from each other. In such an emotional and confusing time, one or both spouses may begin to look for new partners or lovers. Sometimes this is inevitable, and these relationships are usually short-lived, but this can be very harmful for the divorce procedure. This is especially the case if the new partner feels like they can put their input forth on decisions a spouse is making during the divorce process. Work on ending your relationship swiftly to avoid as much drama as possible.

Divorce is a messy and stressful process, so why would you want to delay finalizing one if it’s what you really want? A divorce attorney at The Sampair Group will help you through the process so there are no miscommunications or issues. Contact us today at Sampair Group for  a consultation.