Divorce Advice for Stay-At-Home Moms in California
Moms often find it difficult to care for their children and handle aspects of their divorce. Here are 7 pieces of divorce advice for stay-at-home moms in California.
If you’re a stay-at-home mom going through a divorce, it’s important to (1) gather financial documents, (2) get access to your bank accounts, (3) set a budget, (4) build your credit, (5) consider seeking temporary alimony, (6) talk to a few lawyers, and (7) get a free consultation with one of our divorce attorneys for women.
1. Gather Financial Documents
Child support, spousal support, and property rights will be based on the financial documents provided by both spouses. Your attorney will need to compile evidence of your financial history, so make sure to gather any relevant financial documents, including:
- W-2 forms
- Tax returns
- Recent paystubs
- Bank statements
- Other financial documents
Providing solid evidence can help your attorney protect your property rights. Gather and organize these documents, then give them to your attorney. Based on these documents, an experienced attorney can plan a legal strategy to properly protect your rights to child support, alimony, and property.
2. Get Access to Your Bank Accounts
Make sure you have access to your and your spouse’s joint bank account. You’ll obviously need an account to pay for expenses during your divorce. Spiteful spouses may attempt to block their spouse’s attempts to gain access to these funds, so try to access your joint bank account as soon as possible.
3. Set a Budget
Once you have a sense of your financial state, set a budget to plan how much you’ll spend on food, life necessities, and legal fees. A financial outline can help you plan for the future. Try to set aside 20% of your income into a savings account. If you’re looking to save money on legal fees, you can seek limited scope representation from an attorney. This means that you can handle the less complicated parts of your case, and your lawyer can only handle the more complex aspects of your divorce.
4. Build Your Credit
It’s best that you start building your credit as soon as possible. The sooner you start building your credit score, the better your financial state will be later on. Having a good credit score is crucial to getting loans and having fair credit card rates. Start by requesting a copy of your credit report and fixing any errors that may be lowering your score. Open a credit card in your own name, and keep track of your monthly expenses. Don’t go over your set financial budget and pay your credit card bills on time. Building your credit is one of the most important parts of divorce for stay-at-home moms.
5. Consider Temporary/Permanent Alimony
Stay-at-home moms can receive financial support during their divorce, called temporary spousal support. Temporary alimony can help you stay financially stable during your divorce. Balancing your job with child custody responsibilities can be difficult; a lawyer can grant you temporary spousal support if your employment obligations hinder your ability to care for your children. Given that many stay-at-home moms don’t work, California judges often award temporary spousal support.
Permanent spousal support, on the other hand, is financial support given to a spouse after a divorce. Stay-at-home moms can win both temporary and permanent spousal support in a divorce. Speak to an attorney to determine whether seeking spousal support is right for you.
6. Talk to a Few Lawyers
Make sure to consult a few lawyers before choosing one. Your attorney should specialize in the area of law you need legal help in. For example, if you need an attorney to help you win child custody, hire a divorce lawyer that specializes in custody and visitation rights. It’s important that you trust and feel comfortable with your attorney. Click here for 10 questions to ask a divorce attorney before hiring.
7. Get Your Free Consultation With a Divorce Attorney in California
Her Lawyer was founded for one purpose: to help women in need of legal help. We recognize the unique hardships stay-at-home mothers often face when ending their marriage. Our passionate attorneys specialize in helping stay-at-home moms through divorces. Your experienced divorce lawyer can protect your rights in court or mediation and give you specialized legal advice. Get your free consultation with one of our Divorce Attorneys for Women in California today!