Divorce Checklist: How to Prepare for a Peaceful Divorce

Going through the divorce process is not only complicated and lengthy but also one of the most emotional events that couples face in their life.

Although one of the requisites for filing a divorce is to live separately from your spouse for a year, you need to do several things to prepare for a smooth process while making sure you’re protected. From collecting your legal documents, deciding on a safe place after you move out, finding an expert daycare centre, to taking care of your children should parenting arrangement problems arise.

However, getting a divorce doesn’t have to be all costly and messy.

Sure, it’s difficult and exhausting and you need to make a rational decision and plan for it carefully to make the process peaceful and less stressful.

With the right checklist, going through a divorce can come less complicated than you thought.

Let’s be clear: we want you to save your marriage as much as possible. In fact, there are professional marriage therapists in most cities like Windsor, Mississauga, and Toronto to help you and your spouse. However, if you’re facing the harsh reality of divorce, the checklist below will help you get started.

Why Have a Divorce Checklist?

Especially when your divorce is too complex to handle, you need to have a long list of personal information (relevant to the situation) to provide to the court and ensure essential topics and matters aren’t missed. Having a divorce checklist will help you get your information, documents, and plans well-organized with your lawyer while you go through the process.

10 Things to Prepare

In Canada, there are plenty of people who seek help with divorce via mediators online. If you want to take this route, here’s a list of things you need:

1. Yourself

Divorce is dreadful and I can’t stress enough how essential it is for you to be resilient and able to take good care of yourself. While grief is normal for people going through a divorce, it’s also different for some.

So, let the situation hurt you but take care of yourself. However, don’t double down the pain by going to war with your ex. Learn how to manage your anger, hurt, and resentment to keep things civil as much as possible.

Additionally, when you’re fully healed. Create your own life and treat yourself to all the things you want. So, one day when you wake up and the divorce process is over, you know exactly what to do with your life.

2. Divorce Without Court

Think about what you can resolve with your spouse on your divorce-related issues. For instance, talk it out if you can agree on the alimony, property and debt division, including child support and custody. If you can agree on these things, you might not need to hire a lawyer and not pursue a divorce trial.

3. Hire a Lawyer

If the above issues can’t be handled, assess if you need to consult separate lawyers before you begin the divorce process. Hiring a lawyer might be costly but they help you protect your rights and save you some stress. You must hire a separate lawyer from your spouse to avoid conflict of interest.

4. Your Living Arrangements

In some cases, couples remain to live together until the decision is final because the other can’t afford to pay rent. However, when someone needs to move out, you and your spouse need to decide who remains in the marital home. And, if you feel unsafe anymore, don’t hesitate to get out of the house immediately.

5. Your Personal Information

Gather the following personal information in preparation for your divorce:

Individual Information – everything that you share before should be made private now to avoid emotional and financial damage. Change passwords, get a P.O box, and create a new email account.

• Children’s Information – ensure to hunt for your children’s information like their social security card, birth certificate, adoption records, etc.,

• Marital Information – present certificates to your lawyer like your marriage certificates, marriage license, reasons for divorce, etc.,

• Divorce Information – keep documents safely like the separation agreement, child custody, restraining order, and the like.

6. Your Legal Documents

The documents that you need to collect and prepare don’t end there. As soon as you take hold of your legal documents such as your tax returns, insurance policies, businesses that you or your spouse owned, and retirement plans, take the time to organize them well.

• Will and Powers of Attorney – update your insurance to ensure your loved ones or your children will benefit from the policies and not your ex.

• Insurance – Update your insurance policies to ensure that you’re not held responsible for your ex’s financial matters.

7. Your Financial Documents

Other crucial documents that you need to prepare are the financial paperwork.

• Tax returns – ensure to get all copies of your joint tax returns.

• Debts - find copies of your joint debts (including your student loans, retirement plans, vehicles, and mortgages).

• Security Deposit Boxes – make a list of all the things stored in your security deposit boxes.

• Assets – compile all your joint assets. This should include your credit card debts, bonds, stocks, bank accounts, vehicles, etc.,

8. Your Other Relevant Documents

If you have other significant documents like your vehicle titles, deeds, log-in credentials, and credit reports then do locate, make copies, change and access them.

9. Your Privacy

Ensure that all of these documents mentioned above are properly protected. Get a P.O box, change your passwords, make your social accounts private. However, for your joint accounts, don’t change passwords. When changing passwords, make sure your spouse can't guess them. This will keep you away from further physical, financial, and emotional damages.

10. Some Pictures

Lastly, take pictures of items that have significant value for you. This could be the rooms in your house, furniture, paintings, and other items that you love.

Preparing For a Divorce

Getting a divorce and going through its process is never fun. It will test your physical, emotional, spiritual, and financial being. From collecting the most relevant documents to figuring out what will happen to the kids, divorce might seem stressful.

Regardless of the path you choose, you need to be ready and be fully prepared for what’s coming ahead of you. And, with the checklist above, you can get through your own divorce process better and reap the benefits of the other side afterward.