‘Roses are red, violets are blue, I made a mistake when I married you.’
If like me you are what Scrooge is to Christmas when it comes to Valentine’s Day, fear not, you are not alone. Your marriage maybe over but your life is not.
You are in good company – according to the Office of National Statistics there were 106,959 divorces in 2016, a rise of 5.8% on 2015.
If you find yourself staring despondently at the ‘Dine in for Two’ section of Marks and Sparks – stop right there. In the words of Abba ‘breaking up is never easy’ but when it comes to practical issues such as splitting the matrimonial finances a good matrimonial solicitor can take the pain and discomfort out of financial settlement.
Separating couples often overlook the financial aspect of separation, initially becoming transfixed on the actual divorce. Attitudes are generally that unless you are sitting on a pot of gold and have assets that need protecting and dividing why bother putting a financial agreement in place.
You may not have much to your name now but what about in the future? Being divorced per se is not enough to preclude your ex-spouse from making a claim against you further down the line.
Believe it or not unless you obtain a clean break order upon divorce you are leaving the floodgates open to make a claim on each other should either parties financial circumstances improve greatly. A little investment now in ensuring the correct financial agreement is in place could literally pay dividends in the future.
So what you save on hearts and flowers this Valentine’s Day, invest in some sound legal advice.
