Mistakes have a way of slowing down the process of finalizing a divorce settlement. Many Illinois couples will find that if they avoid common divorce mistakes, they can save time and money on their divorce. Most mistakes are easily categorized as either financial or emotional.
Financial mistakes, according to USA Today, include not thinking about the overall costs and focusing too much on small details. Money is a huge part of any divorce. Couples will need to divide assets and discuss topics such as alimony and child support. It can be easy for a person to get hung up on trying to get more and forget to pay attention to the details. For example, getting a large alimony payment at the expense of a smaller child support payment may seem great, but in the end, this person will be paying taxes on the alimony and not on the child support, so he or she is not likely getting a great deal. Focusing too much on the small details, such as who gets the wedding china, can take the focus away from the more important aspects. A person has to always keep an eye on the overall costs of the divorce. If time is wasted arguing over small points, it will probably end up costing more than it is worth in legal fees.
According to the Huffington Post, emotional mistakes include focusing on anger and fighting without reasoning. Many people go into a divorce ready for a fight. A person who is focused on getting back at their ex or trying to hurt their ex is someone who will waste a lot of time and money bickering over unimportant things. Letting emotions take over is common, but it is not ideal. When people get too emotional, they tend to not be willing to negotiate, and negotiation is what drives the process forward. Instead, couples should try to get along at least enough to get through the steps needed to reach a settlement.
