The year 2021 is soon coming to an end, and as 2022 approaches, you may be wondering if divorcing your spouse before New Year’s is the best way to start over. However, starting your divorce proceedings before the end of the year might not only be extremely stressful, but it also may be financially inconvenient. Timing always matters, so before you make such a big decision you must know about the four reasons why it would be in your best interest to delay your divorce until January.
Avoid ruining the holidays
You know that the time to divorce has come, so delaying it might not make much sense at first. However, you must keep in mind that the following months have very important holidays. If you file for divorce before them, your family could blame you for ruining Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Year’s. Also, the holidays are already exhausting and emotionally demanding to add a divorce to the equation.
Consider the annual bonus
You must keep in mind that anything that you or your spouse acquire after your divorce will be separate property. So, if you decide to file for divorce now, you may miss out on a share of your spouse’s annual bonus, which usually implies a significant amount of money. Another possibility would be for your spouse to delay their bonus on purpose so that they won’t have to give it to you if the divorce proceedings end right after the start of the year.
Prevent your spouse from taking revenge
Holidays involve a lot of shopping. Usually, people buy a lot of things to give them as presents around these dates. However, if you tell your spouse about your divorce before the holiday shopping, they may not buy things out of happiness, but revenge. An angry spouse is more likely to drain credit cards and do reckless shopping, so you may want to think about that before proposing an end-of-the-year divorce.
Have time to prepare your documents
Your divorce will require you to have a handful of documents for the court to make a decision on custody and alimony matters. Putting all those documents together takes time. Instead of filing right now, what you can do is prepare the paperwork for your divorce. Besides, if you file for divorce after 2021 ends, it will be easier for you and your spouse to know exactly in which start of the year you filed for divorce to avoid complications with property in the future.
Divorcing the right way
It can be hard to stay with someone when you know that your relationship won’t work anymore. However, getting a divorce is a big decision that cannot be rushed. By delaying your divorce until January, not only will you avoid unnecessary conflict, but it may also benefit you in terms of money. Besides, you can be one step ahead of your spouse if you start gathering your documents before they do
