Life after you go through a divorce will presumably change in many ways. You may have a new living situation or a new job, and there will be some adjusting to do with your new single life. Divorce is a stressful and emotional process, and at times it may feel that it is hard to move on after divorce. It is crucial to get back to living your life to the fullest as soon as possible after a divorce. If you follow these tips you can help make your life after divorce as fulfilling as you wish.

Do What Is Best for You

Doing what is best for you can mean a variety of things. You should still pay attention to others and not act completely selfishly, but taking this time to do whatever you need to cope will make the time and stress pass faster. Many people are uncertain after divorce and have doubts. Forcing yourself to make decisions about what feels right will help you recover from the divorce by allowing yourself to do those things you may have been afraid to during marriage.

Smile

Some couples have contested divorces and battle it out over everything involved in their case. Even if you are still angry at your spouse for what happened during the divorce, it does not benefit you to let that anger stay within you forever and hold a grudge. Being angry for a period of time is normal and expected, but keeping that anger for too long is not good for you. Letting yourself let go of your animosity and be happy again will help you move on and get back to enjoying your life.

If you are currently married but are not happy and wish to end the relationship, there are a few different options. Two of the most common options are legal separation and divorce. Divorce is well-known and very common, ending in the dissolution of the marriage. It also allows a couple to separate and divide up property and assets. Child custody and maintenance may also be worked out in a divorce.

Legal separation is not as well-known. If a couple legally separates, they do not dissolve the marriage, but instead will have a separation agreement. Many of the same issues are addressed, such as child visitation, custody, alimony, or maintenance. However, it does not divide up properties and assets unless both people agree to it ahead of time. Neither spouse is allowed to remarry because the marriage has never been formally dissolved. There are differences in how finances are handled in each option so it is important to evaluate all your options before making a firm decision.

What Is Better About Legal Separation?

Not all marriages will benefit more from legal separation. However, if you wish to take advantage of any of the benefits below, it may be beneficial to legally separate instead of divorce:

Going through a divorce can be a complicated process. Working out maintenance and child visitation, how to divide a business, debt, etc. can all add to the stress of your divorce. If a couple’s finances are particularly complex, it may require a forensic accountant. A forensic accountant for a divorce is someone who details all the debts, assets, and other financial aspects in the divorce and presents that information in a courtroom. Divorce attorneys can help with general financial aspects of a divorce, but for more complex matters it may be necessary to work with a forensic accountant to ensure the finances are taken care of properly.

How Can Forensic Accounting Help Me?

Forensic accountants are most often used in high net worth divorce cases but can be used by anybody if they are needed. Some of the ways a forensic accountant can help your divorce case by searching to see if there are hidden assets, evaluating the long-term impact of the divorce on finances, or determining the value of assets and evaluating expenses. To do so they will examine any deeds, stocks, investments, bank statements, etc. and compile everything together.

The forensic accountant can be especially helpful if you believe your spouse is hiding assets. For example, if they bought some cryptocurrency in the past and have not disclosed it to you or the court, that could be very valuable and will need to be considered in the division of assets in your case. If your divorce is amicable, you probably do not need to worry about that issue as much, but it is still beneficial to you to make sure everything is accounted for in your case. Often forensic accountants are used for business valuation. Business finances and personal finances for business owners are often intermingled in complex ways, and the forensic accountant will determine where assets should be placed for divorce considerations.

If you are going through a divorce, your time in the courtroom is crucial in setting the tone of your case. Making a mistake in the courtroom can negatively affect your divorce and lead to a less advantageous settlement for you. Taking time to prepare before you are actually present in the courtroom will make it much less likely you make a mistake, so do your research before your time in court. These tips will help you make fewer mistakes and ensure your courtroom time goes smoothly.

Emotions and Body Language

While you are present in the courtroom, your actions will be noted. Rolling your eyes, laughing, angry outbursts, etc. will all influence the court’s perception of you and seem disrespectful. Even if you are not saying anything, body language is a good indicator of how you are feeling. If you let your body language show your emotions, even if you are extremely emotional, it will show the court that you cannot keep yourself in check, which will not be beneficial to your case.

Be Respectful

Being respectful to everyone in the courtroom is crucial to influencing the judge’s perception of you. Being respectful to the judge is the first step, but being respectful to everyone else present in the courtroom is the second step. If your spouse’s lawyer is asking you questions and you get frustrated, answering the questions in a respectful manner will show that you can handle yourself in stressful situations. Even if you feel you are not being respected, staying respectful to everyone is a much better way to make a positive impression in court.

Married couples often disagree over aspects of their lives together, such as what movie they should see, their spending habits, or the details of how to raise their children. Currently, there is also evidence that political ideology is causing more divorces than before because of the shift in the political climate of the United States. A study done by Wakefield Research, a polling research firm, examined the effect political ideology has had on marriage since the 2016 presidential election.

Breakdown of the Results

Wakefield sent out a survey to couples to ask about the effect the political climate is having on their relationship. The data they received indicated that 11% of Americans have ended a romantic relationship because they disagreed with their significant other on political ideology. Millennials were even more likely to say they ended a relationship due to politics, with 22% of millennials responding say they ended a relationship due to political affiliation.

When asked about the current political landscape, 22% of the respondents to the survey stated they know a couple whose relationship has been strained due to the 2016 presidential election, including 35% of millennials who responded.