Common Surprises in New Jersey Marriage Dissolution Cases

A surprise is an unexpected event, occurrence, or revelation that causes a sudden feeling of wonder, astonishment, or amazement. It happens when something differs from what we anticipated or expected to happen.

Surprises can be:

• Neutral – simply unexpected but without strong emotional impact
• Positive – causing joy or delight
• Negative – causing shock or dismay

It is safe to say that surprises in New Jersey marriage dissolution cases rarely can be classified as positive occurrences. Perhaps some fairly can be placed in the neutral category. Truly, more often than now, more often than not, common surprises in New Jersey marriage divorce cases are negative happenings.

We take a moment to explore some of the more commonly occurring types of surprises that do arise in New Jersey marriage dissolution cases. While this discussion will not prevent surprises in your own divorce case, it can at least prepare you on some level for something or another that might end up in the offing.

Financial Surprises

Time and again, women and men involved in New Jersey marriage dissolution cases make note that one of the areas most surprising to them involves financial matters of various types. The bottom-line reality is that ending a marriage can have tremendous financial consequences, including some that many people embarking on their first divorce never imagined. Examples include the true costs associated with maintaining two separate households.

In addition, the end of a marriage can have a major impact on the borrowing ability of one or both parties to New Jersey marriage dissolution cases. In most instances, even in the 21^st century when marriages are deemed to be partnership of equals, this type of negative impact from a divorce is more likely to impact one spouse over another (and in a majority of these instances, it is the wife in an opposite gender marriage).

Tax surprises are another of negative financial ramifications that can arise during the course of a New Jersey divorce case. Unnecessary surprises of this nature can be avoided when parties to marriage dissolution proceedings are properly versed on the tax implications of asset division and the overall property settlement agreement.

Finally, more than a few women and men who have gone through divorce proceedings remark that they ended up being surprised and even amazed at how long it took for them to financially recover from the end of their marriages. There is no set timeframe within which a recently divorced person can expect to achieve financial stability. This milestone is rather like overcoming grief – it’s different in every case. In this regard, you nonetheless need to take the position that this will take time and that will likely be longer than you might initially surmise at the start of divorce proceedings.

Legal Process or Procedure Surprises

Surprises are also very likely when it comes to the legal process itself and associated court procedures. The five most commonplace types of surprises New Jersey residents who’ve gone through divorces make note of being at least somewhat surprises about are:

• Duration of divorce proceedings
• Complexity of paperwork requirements
• Mandatory waiting periods
• Need for expert witnesses (accountants, evaluators)
• Cost of legal representation

Emotional Impact Surprises

Many people openly admit that they were not necessarily emotionally prepared for all that was associated with going through a divorce. Others take a stance that they actually believed that they emotionally were prepared to face down the literal and figurative trials and associated tribulations associated with ending their marriages. The truth is, nearly no one honestly states that they fully were emotionally prepared in all ways for what comes to pass during a marriage dissolution case.

In discussing how their emotions were impacted in generally unexpected ways during a New Jersey divorce case, five more recurring ways in which emotional impact registered are:

• Unexpected reactions from family and friends
• Effect on work performance
• Impact on mental health
• Changes in social circles
• Emotional stages similar to grief

Property Division Surprises

Finally, asset division and debt distribution more often than not proves to be a challenging aspect of ending marriage, a part of the divorce process that is fraught with surprises – even for the best prepared litigant. Once more, there are five more commonly registered types of property division-related surprises that come to register during the course of New Jersey divorces:

• Complexity of dividing retirement accounts
• Issues with shared debt responsibility
• Difficulty selling shared property
• Insurance policy implications
• Division of sentimental items

As a closing note, you proactively can lessen the chance or impact of these types of surprises enumerated here, together with others, by retaining the professional assistance of a skilled, experienced New Jersey divorce lawyer. If you have questions concerning a New Jersey Divorce, call the Law Offices of Peter Van Aulen today at (201) 845-7400 for a free consultation.