Your Divorce Discharge Plan | Lerch, Early & Brewer

Just as when you exit a medical program you receive a discharge plan with instructions, when you exit your divorce, it’s helpful to have a guide.

As you step into your post-divorce life, consider the things you need to do and a plan for having support in place. It is inevitable that some things may get easier and that there will need to be a few new things to do. The following is a discharge plan for your post-divorce life.

Post-Divorce Action Items

Make sure that you’ve followed through on everything required by your divorce agreement or court order. For assistance, check out The Post-Divorce Checklist.

Financial Wellbeing

Financial Advisor: Make sure you will be financially secure and have a financial plan. A financial advisor may be a valuable addition to your new life. A financial advisor can give you suggestions as to when and where to invest your money. Your financial advisor can also prioritize your financial goals, such as investments or retirement.

Accountant: If you’ve never been the primary person to prepare and file your own taxes, an accountant can assist you in doing so. Whether you are or are not new to preparing and filing taxes, if you do not have a tax background, a consultation with an accountant may be able to financially save you thousands.

Bill Payer: If you’re new to paying bills or that’s not been a strong suit of yours, consider a bill payer to either assist you learning to manage bills, set up automatic payments, or to direct payments on your behalf. Avoiding late and overdraft fees and penalties will be a big cost savings.

Mindfulness for You, Your Children and the Family Unit

For You: Divorce is one of the biggest changes a person faces in their lives, and you’ve just lived it. It’s important to take care of you and prioritize yourself. It’s normal to struggle with this, so consider a therapist or life coach to help you navigate your new path.

For Your Children: Children are resilient but divorce can be challenging for them. Consider a therapist for your children.

For the Family Unit: If you have children, maintaining communications with your former spouse can be stressful for you, and your children who can sense the discord.

Consider a divorce coach or parenting coach or parenting coordinator for you individually or for you and your former spouse to work with together when needed. A parenting coach or parenting coordinator will direct both parents’ focus on the child to reach a conclusion in your child’s best interest rather than your frustration on your former spouse.

Your time will be spent figuring out how to better your child’s life instead of going in circles with your former spouse. Also, maintaining a relationship with a divorce lawyer may help so you have someone to consult with as questions arise as you navigate your new relationship with your former spouse.

The Household

One of the biggest time-consuming tasks are home repairs. You can get ahead of the game by knowing who to call now – before you need them. Take steps to have a handyman available and know who services your home appliances. You may also consider purchasing a home warranty.

Having a plan early on of who to call should the need arise may help you feel more in control of your new life, and will give you guidance of how to deal with new situations as they arise.

Law Clerk Gwynn Mak contributed to this article