What Should I Know Before I Break the News?

Telling your spouse that you want a divorce can be an emotionally troubling time; on top of that, however, is picking the right time, knowing that once you’ve broached the subject, you might find gaining critical information from your spouse to be much more difficult. So, before arriving at the discussion, it’s a good idea to know your spouse’s earning and assets, so you can calculate a reasonable figure for spousal and/or child support in the divorce settlement. If you can’t find out either by looking at tax forms or pay stubs, you might have just have to ask. Also, assess your own earnings potential, learn about your family’s financial holdings, assess the debt, and make photocopies of all the relevant records. It’s also a very good idea to determine where you are going to live following the separation and figure out how much it’s going to cost and how it’s going to be paid for before you bring the divorce up with your spouse.