Fifth In in the Top Ten Things To Know When Contemplating Divorce
5. Summarize Marital Lifestyle:
How did you live your life? Did you live a low, middle or upper-class lifestyle? One of the key issues in a matrimonial dispute is marital lifestyle. Begin to describe your marital lifestyle for your attorney using the following categories:
- Marital residence – size, pool, improvements;
- Vacation homes;
- Extent of savings in bank or investment accounts;
- Types of automobiles, boats, planes, motorcycles or other vehicles or
recreational crafts;
- Frequency of vacations and locations;
- Furs and jewelry;
- Nature of stores frequented;
- Country clubs;
- Extent of entertainment including, but not limited to: gambling, sports, hobbies, restaurants, theatre, movies and the like;
- Extent of gifts given and received;
- Extent of service providers such as household help, gardeners, maintenance personnel and the like;
- Nature, extent and value of household furniture and furnishings, including collectibles and artwork;
- Children’s expenses, including, but not limited to, private school, camps, tutoring or extracurricular activities;
- Available cash;
- Available free time;
- Personal expenses run through a business;
- Pets (In one case, the parties had their dog in “Doggy Day Care”).