Jun 5, 2011

A Post Divorce Checklist

Divorce and General Articles

______Name Change after divorce—it may be free when you do it at the time you divorce versus later on.

 ______Make sure ex-spouse is removed as beneficiary from all accounts, unless otherwise agreed in your divorce agreement.

 ______Get a firm grip of your personal budget of expenses in your new household and trim and cutback that budget, whenever necessary to adjust to your new financial status.

 ______Contact an accountant and be aware of all tax consequences/pitfalls of your new status.

 ______Change your name with social security

 ______Change your driver’s license.

 ______Make sure that if there’s supposed to be a Qualified Domestic Relations Order done that it actually gets done. It’s easy to overlook this.

 ______If your divorce decree calls for a quitclaim deed or statutory warranty deed, make sure that actually gets done too.

 ______If the divorce decree calls for you to transfer title to one or more of your automobiles, go ahead and get that done.

 ______Get your name (or your spouse’s name, as the case may be) off the joint bank account.

 ______Get your name (or your spouse’s name, as the case may be) off the home mortgage documents

 ______Open a new checking account in your name.

 ______Open a credit card in your name alone and actually use it to make a credit purchase. No need to go overboard on this, but it does make sense to build a record of using credit and using it wisely.

 ______Make sure your auto insurance got changed over okay.

 ______Make sure your health insurance is lined up and in place.

 ______Make sure your life insurance is in place and that you actually ask for the proof from your ex that he or she has purchased required life insurance.

 ______If you’re paying child support or alimony, get it set up so that it happens as a routine. If you’re paying through a wage attachment order, make sure you pay directly until the order kicks in.

 ______Execute a new Will