As published in The Florida Villager.
What to Do Post-Divorce
It has been a very long divorce journey but now the papers have been signed and you are standing before the judge for your final order. You get your agreement stamped and walk out of the courthouse with a sigh of relief because all of “this” is behind you. Well… not quite yet. Take a deep breath and embark on your final step – completing the post-divorce checklist.
One of the biggest problems I see with my clients is not addressing what their final order requires of them. I get it, they are burnt out but if these items are not taken care of, trouble lies ahead. What I do to help the process, is I take their order and make a personalized checklist for them, we discuss a reasonable deadline to have it all completed and I do random accountability checks in order to keep them on track.
Here are general items to address post-divorce;
- Change your name and/or address: passport, social security. Driver’s license, voter registration, credit cards, bank accounts, mail
- Check your credit report
- Bank accounts- savings, checking, safety deposit box, money market, loans. Joint accounts need to be closed. Loans- if possible, have your name removed from note
- Stocks, bonds, retirement- need to be dispersed according to your agreement
- Redo trusts and wills
- Insurance- new policy and/or change beneficiary on life, medical, dental, vision, disability, homeowners, car, boat
- Homestead exemption
- Titles to property- car, boat/jet ski, house, quit claim deed.
- Electric, gas, pool, water, lawn, cable, phone, alarm- remove former spouse
- Cars/boats/RV- transponders, registration, service warranties, lease/loans
- Medical- any doctors associated with the children should be updated with both parent’s contact information and co-parenting requirements
- Professional advisors- CPA, attorneys, financial planner, etc
- Employers- any changes in retirement/pension plans, health insurance, stock options, benefits and any exemptions due to divorce/your agreement
- Magazine subscriptions, social/club/professional memberships
- Reward programs- stores, airlines, hotels, etc- remove former spouse or distribute points as per your agreement
- Pets- if you are retaining the family pet, you will need to contact the vet, chip registry, any pedigree association and county license.
Here are a couple of tips that I have found useful. Do this list all at once. Depending on how involved your list is, I would suggest giving yourself no more than 2 days to finish what you can. Bear in mind, for some of them you will have to get special forms and wait for the final document. Keep notes if and when you speak with people and don’t check that item off until it is all finalized. And last but not least, get multiple copies of your final order.
Once you reach this stage you are very, very close to the finish line. Keep looking ahead, stay focused and once your post-divorce checklist is completed, go and do something special for yourself!
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