Do not wait to gather up all of the financial documents you will need for the filing of your divorce. You did not make up your mind to marry overnight, likewise, divorcing takes planning as well. Make sure that you have taken an adequate amount of time to research your financial situation. Know exactly where your financial institutions are located, including the account numbers and the amounts on deposit. Try to Xerox all bank records, tax returns, mortgages, deeds, life insurance policies, and employee packages relative to your spouse’s employment. This can save you a lot of money in the discovery phase of you divorce case if you do the research before your spouse is aware of your plan to divorce.

You should be aware of your debt structure as well. Most spouses are surprised to learn that they are jointly and equally responsible for debts which have arisen during the course of the marriage, whether or not they were incurred by your spouse. If you believe your spouse has been running up bills in contemplation of divorce, it is imperative to let your attorney know this. Typically the filing of the summons will stop your responsibility from that point in time forward, for any new debt occasioned by your spouse.

Be sure to take your name off of all joint credit cards, and alert all local merchants that you will no longer be responsible for any new credit advanced by them to your spouse.