If there’s one truth that most people accept about divorce, it is that the process is often financially devastating. Not only do you have to split everything you own with your spouse in most cases, but you will also have to worry about the cost of the divorce itself.
Much like a wedding, divorce can easily cost tens of thousands of dollars. Unlike a wedding, where you get to look forward to gifts from loved ones to defray those costs and help set you up on a lifetime of success, divorce comes with no such gift-giving cultural imperative.
Instead, you will largely be on your own when attempting to bounce back from the negative financial consequences of a divorce. Is there any way for you to get a divorce without overextending yourself financially?
Keep costs low by negotiating uncontested divorce terms
Perhaps the most straightforward and simple way to keep the cost of your divorce as affordable as possible is finding a way to file an uncontested divorce. That way, instead of giving testimony and providing evidence, a process that could take days or even weeks, instead you only need to present the courts with the terms you and your spouse have already set for the divorce.
Reaching a point where you both agree on terms isn’t always that easy. You may need to consider working with outside professionals like arbitrators or mediators in order to find a solution that both of you can live with after the divorce.
Some couples are very lucky in that such negotiations are not necessary because they have pre-existing prenuptial or postnuptial agreements that guide the division of their assets in the event of divorce. Most everyone else will need to consider whether they can work with their ex.
Take steps to do things right the first time
There are a host of suggestions to help you keep divorce costs lower. Many of them are good, but some put you at risk of higher costs. For example, you will find people suggesting that you completely bypass legal assistance in your divorce as a way to keep costs low.
While attorneys are often a big part of the cost involved in divorcing, there’s a reason people pay so much for representation. You could find yourself in a vulnerable position if your ex has an attorney and you do not. It’s also possible that if you do try to file an uncontested divorce without an attorney’s help that the agreement you reach will violate state law and service support from upholding it, meaning you’ll wind up in a litigated divorce anyway.
Getting the right advice so that you do things properly from the first moment on to the final court orders will reduce costs more than trying to keep things as cheap as possible while compromising quality and success.