The time leading up to your wedding can be a joyous and happy time, while simultaneously a stressful and overwhelming experience for many people. In the days and months leading up to your wedding, you likely have event planning things on your mind, such as picking out the color of the table linens or making a final determination for the guest list. What many people do not think about before they get married is the financial aspect of things. When you get married to another person, you are suddenly financially intertwined with that person and are subject to things such as property division and spousal support in the event you were to ever get divorced. One way to protect your financial health is by signing a prenuptial agreement before you tie the knot. Prenuptial agreements used to carry a negative social stigma, but more people have begun to see their benefits in the past several years.

Prenuptial Agreements are Becoming More Commonplace Among Couples

Just as Bob Dylan once sang in one of his most famous songs, “the times they are-a changin’,” the marital landscape in the United States is also changing. Not too long ago, many people thought it was unsavory or tacky to get a prenuptial agreement before they were married. After all, why would you make plans for the end of the marriage before the marriage has even begun? In recent years, there has been a surge in interest in prenuptial agreements, especially among younger couples. According to a survey conducted by the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, around 62 percent of lawyers who responded reported that they saw an increase of prenuptial agreements between 2013 and 2016, while about half of them reported that they saw an increase in prenuptial agreements among millennials, specifically.

There are a couple of possible reasons for this surge in prenuptial agreements. First, the divorce rate in the United States has greatly increased over the past couple of decades. Depending on the source you consult, the current divorce rate is anywhere between 40 and 50 percent. Second, people are waiting to get married until they are older and consequently have accumulated more assets and property that they need to protect. The average age of individuals when they go to get married for the first time has increased significantly over the past 50 years. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the average age a man was first married increased from 23.2 in 1970 to 30.3 in 2019, while the average age of a woman at her first marriage increased from 20.8 to 28.4, respectively.

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Every couple has an argument every now and again. Maybe you did not put the dishes away like you said you were going to do, or maybe your spouse forgot to pack the kids’ lunches like they were supposed to. Little things like that can pop up from time to time, but when those little problems keep coming up more often and lead to bigger and bigger fights, it may be time to consider ending the marriage. Reactions to the idea of a divorce can vary depending on the person, but you should have a pretty good grasp of the kind of personality your spouse has and how they are likely to react. 

For some people who have been in troubled or unhappy marriages, getting a divorce can seem like a breath of fresh air. However, that is not to say that those getting a divorce have it easy. In many cases, these couples end up going through difficult, contested divorces that can put them at the mercy of the court system and each other. Any divorce can become complicated fairly easily, which is why hiring a professional is nearly always recommended. If you are dealing with a contested divorce, enlisting the help of an Illinois divorce lawyer who has experience dealing with contested and complex divorce cases could benefit you greatly.

Leading Up to the Discovery Process

In today’s world, the default for most divorce cases is to utilize some form of alternative dispute resolution, such as mediation or collaborative law to complete the divorce, rather than litigating the case in the courtroom. Most of the time, litigated divorces are only used when there are special circumstances involved that would make another method inappropriate, such as if domestic violence was present in the household.

Divorce is typically not something that most people want to think about. After all, many divorces do not end on a high note, and they can end up turning out to be one of the most stressful life events that people go through. Yet, divorces do take place, and life goes on, though several different aspects of a person’s life can be affected. Without proper preparation and guidance, a person’s social, emotional, financial, and mental health can be affected, along with their future well-being.

The fact of the matter is, there are things that you should and should not do when getting a divorce in Illinois. There are many mistakes that you can make during your divorce, but a knowledgeable Illinois divorce lawyer will be able to help you anticipate these errors and prevent them from being made. Here are a few common divorce mistakes you will want to avoid:

Choosing the Wrong Type of Divorce for Your Situation

Contrary to what many people may think, there is more than one way to get divorced from your spouse. When you think of the word divorce, you likely think of a litigated divorce, or a more “traditional” divorce in which disputes are resolved inside the courtroom. While this is still an option in Illinois, it is typically only used as a last resort or in situations with extenuating circumstances. The state of Illinois highly encourages you and your spouse to work together with one another to settle the issues pertaining to your divorce because the outcomes tend to be better. Both mediated and collaborative divorces offer benefits that a litigated divorce does not.

Everyone knows how much of an emotional and life-changing event a divorce can be. What many people do not realize is that getting a divorce can also have a major impact on your financial health too, both during and after the divorce. Many studies have been conducted and various groups of couples from many demographics and backgrounds have been observed to determine the differences in financial health before and after the divorce process. Though each divorce is going to be different because each couple’s situation is different, the general consensus is that divorce can majorly impact your finances and even lower your standard of living after everything is said and done.

Fortunately, this fact does not have to just be taken at face value. There are certain things that you can do to help protect your finances during your Illinois divorce, which will, in turn, help you protect your financial health after the divorce is over with and the decree is signed by the judge and both you and your spouse. Divorce can get complicated quickly, especially if there are complicated financial issues involved, which is why it is recommended that you hire an Illinois divorce lawyer to help you with the divorce process.

How Can Divorce Impact My Finances?

If you are not careful and make good decisions while you are going through your divorce, you could end up in a bad situation after the fact, though there may only be so much you can do. According to Bloomberg, divorce is going to lower your standard of living no matter what. However, your age when you get divorced and your gender both have an impact on how much your standard of living is affected after a divorce. Both men and women who divorce after the age of 50 will see their standard of living decrease much more than men and women who divorce when they are younger.