When your relationship in British Colombia is ending, it’s likely easy to focus on the emotional side of things. However, it’s also important to take a deep breath and focus more rationally on the financial side of the split. When you don’t do this, expenses can often spiral out of control and the breakup could be costlier than it needs to be. To keep those costs from becoming overwhelming, you never want to:
- Go into the divorce without any sort of plan.
- Fail to consider all of your options, including mediation.
- Act out of anger, perhaps doing things you’ll regret or saying things you’ll wish you could take back.
- Ignore the legal advice that you get because of your emotions.
- Think that the goal of the legal process is to fix your relationship with your significant other; the real goal is to look out for your best interests during the split.
- Throw away all of your important documents to symbolize your fresh start.
- Try to ruin the relationship that your spouse — or your ex has with your kids.
- Concentrate on yourself and value only your needs instead of your children’s.
- Go before a judge when you and your spouse could have come to an agreement through mediation.
- Refuse to make any compromises.
These are just a few examples of mistakes that can be made, but they show how important it is not to act out of anger or despair. Take this time to focus on yourself and seek the best possible legal outcome. Your emotions will fade over time, and you don’t want to make legal mistakes in the heat of the moment that can’t ever be changed.
Source: Canadian Bar Association, “Breaking Up,” accessed July 07, 2016