Going Through A Divorce: Why It’s So Important To Protect Your Privacy
When married couples choose to split, they’ll have to make a
significant number of choices that pertain to living their lives
separately from one another. When it comes to highly
contested parts of the divorce, spousal maintenance and property
division tends to top the list. These decisions are often so
controversial that spouses will use all kinds of information against
the other to win.
Community vs. Separate
Property: What Do They Mean?
During the asset and property division process, courts will define what
property is separate and what property is community. What do these two
terms mean:
- Separate property means any property that was owned before the
marriage, acquired at any point through an inheritance or was given
during the marriage.
- Community property is when either spouse acquired the assets during
the marriage.
Many divorcing couples learn that community property can be designated
on things that have just one spouse’s name on it – title, deeds, etc.
How Couples Try To Get
The Upper Hand On Their Soon To Be Ex
The process can be extremely stressful since neither party wants to
part with certain things. Besides the emotional attachment, spouses may
use certain items to provide them with income or other kinds of
benefits. Today, more couples are playing dirty by misusing and
intercepting private information to sway a judge’s opinion.
With the Internet being so prevalent, information is within arm’s
reach. Private information that was once word of mouth is now available
on social medial sites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and more.
How Can You Protect
Yourself During Divorce Proceedings
1 – Changing Passwords On Email and Social Media Accounts
If you’re in the middle of a divorce, your spouse does not need access
to your social media account or email. So, change all your passwords!
Keep the information private so that he/she cannot gain access to them.
2 – Establish Your Own Bank Account and Take Your Name Off Credit Cards
There’s no reason to have a joint bank account anymore or be linked to
any credit cards they may have. Failing to remove your name or
establish your own bank account could lead to financial issues later
on. If you and your spouse have a safety deposit box,
consider removing the personal documentation you have as well as any
valuables. Some important documents you need to keep safe include but
are not limited to:
- Birth certificate
- Pension papers
- Diplomas
- Jointly owned records
3 – Dealing With Postal Mail
Another issue you’ll need to deal with is the postal mail. Consider
having your email forwarded to a new address the moment you move into
one. If not, your spouse could use the information against you –
personal letters, bank statements and more.
4 – Cell Phone Contracts
Most couples have a shared cell phone contract. Be sure you end it as
soon as you can because of the private information that’s often shared
through text messages and phone calls.
When you take the above steps to guard your private, you protect your
assets and possibility of custody of the children. Many custody battles
have been affected by the leakage of personal data about spouses. And,
this can also affect the children.
Get Legal Representation
For Your Divorce
Make sure you hire the best possible divorce attorney to handle your
divorce case and protect your rights. The attorney will already have a
connection with judges and courts and can be sure that your rights are
protected under the law.