同林鳥離婚前需考慮的六個財務問題

Now that the vacation suitcases are put away and the children are back in school, it may be time to start planning for something that you may have been putting off-a divorce.
既然旅行箱已經放好，孩子們也重返學校了，或許是時候開始準備一下你一直在推後的離婚計劃了。
Divorce is a huge step and not one to be taken lightly due in part to its enormous emotional and financial ramifications. But as the economy continues to improve, more couples who have postponed their divorces are likely to pursue them.
離婚是一件大事，由於其會對情感以及財務狀況產生巨大的影響，因此不可草率行事。但隨着經濟繼續好轉，許多曾推遲了離婚計劃的夫婦可能會將該計劃付諸行動了。

National U.S. divorce statics are pretty lousy. There is no reliable central database and some states, most notably California, don't even count the number of divorces annually.
美國的離婚統計工作做得相當糟糕，沒有可以信賴的中央數據庫，一些州、最明顯的是加利福尼亞州甚至不統計年度離婚數據。

That said, the reported number of divorces runs at about 40% of marriages. In 2011, for instance, there were 877,000 divorces and 2.1 million marriages, according to the National Center for Health Statistics.
但據稱離婚數量已經相當於結婚數量的大約40%。例如，據全美健康統計中心(National Center for Health Statistics)數據，2011年有210萬對新人結婚，但有877,000對夫婦離婚。
Whether it's the seven-year itch or you're just plain unhappy and you feel it's time to make a change, there a few things you need to consider before you file.
無論是因爲七年之癢，還是僅僅因爲你過得不開心，你覺得是時候做出點改變了。但在提交離婚申請之前你需要考慮好以下問題。

1. Know What You Own and Make Copies.
1. 瞭解你擁有什麼並且備份
Gather as much information as possible, as early as possible, regarding your family's finances, says Solon Vlasto, a financial planner in McLean, Va. 'As a divorce progresses, documentation becomes more difficult to locate,' he says.
弗吉尼亞州麥克萊恩的理財規劃師Solon Vlasto說，儘早、儘可能多的收集有關家庭財務方面的信息。他說，隨着離婚過程的推進，文件會越來越難找。

Begin by making a list of assets, debts and sources of income. Try to obtain at least three years of tax returns. Gather employee and retirement-benefit information and insurance documents. Make copies of everything.
從列出一張資產、負債以及收入來源的單子開始。收集至少過去三年的納稅申報單。獲取僱傭和退休福利信息及保險文件。所有的信息備份。
Start tracking expenses, if you haven't already. The more information you collect, the better. There will be a point in the divorce where you'll have to review your cost of living, Mr. Vlasto says.
開始追蹤支出情況，如果你之前沒有的話。收集的信息越多越好。Vlasto說，在辦理離婚的過程中，你還需要評估生活成本。

Create a record of all valuables such as jewelry, art and collectibles, says Nicole Feuer, a divorce mediator in Westport, Conn. 'Take photos, as sometimes these items can 'disappear' in a divorce,' she says.
康涅狄格州Westport的離婚調解員Nicole Feuer說，要有一份珠寶、藝術品和收藏品等所有貴重物品的記錄。拍下照片，因爲有的時候在辦理離婚的過程中這些物品可能會“不翼而飛”。James Gambaccini, a financial planner in Fairfax, Va., says you should sign up for electronic statements for all of your individual accounts so that your spouse can no longer see these by opening the mail. Also, be sure to change your individual account passwords so that your spouse isn't tempted to log in to your accounts, he says.
弗吉尼亞州Fairfax的理財規劃師James Gambaccini說，所有的個人賬戶都應該申請電子賬單，否則你的配偶拆開信封就可以看到這些信息。此外還要修改個人賬戶密碼，以防你的配偶忍不住去登陸你的賬戶。
Don't hide money, though, says Lili Vasileff, a collaborative-divorce practitioner in Greenwich, Conn. 'It gives rise to dishonesty and fraud and it will be discovered in divorce,' she says.
不過協議離婚執業律師Lili Vasileff說，不要藏錢，因爲這可能會導致不誠實和欺詐，在離婚的過程中會被發現。
If you have reasonable grounds for concern, seek legal advice for how to preserve your financial assets before filing for divorce, she says.
她說，如果你有擔憂的合理依據，尋求法律幫助，瞭解在申請離婚前如何保護你的資產。

2. Save and Budget.
2. 節省和籌劃
One of the most overlooked aspects of divorce is budgeting for it, says Ms. Vasileff.
Vasileff說，離婚最容易被人忽視的一方面是爲此製作預算。
'Decide how much you will budget and which accounts will be used to pay for your divorce expenses,' she says. Try to avoid tapping into the 'wrong' accounts to pay for it. Taking money out of an individual retirement account, for example, may cost a penalty and taxes, she says.
她說，確定你的預算規模，以及用哪些賬戶來支付離婚的開銷。儘量避免動用“錯誤的”賬戶來支付。她說，例如使用個人退休賬戶中的資金可能被課以罰款和稅金。You'll need liquid funds for legal costs and possibly for a separate living arrangement, and money for daily expenses. You should have at least three months' expenses plus several thousand more saved for your attorney's retainer, she says.
你需要留出流動資金用於法律方面的費用，可能需要的另覓住處相關的支出，以及日常開銷。她說，你應當留好至少三個月的開銷，再加上額外的幾千美元以備請律師的預付開支。

'Keep this cash in separately titled checking accounts, money-market savings and short-term CDs rather than any long-term investments,' she says.
她說，將這筆現金放在單獨的活期賬戶、貨幣市場儲蓄賬戶以及短期存單中，而不要進行任何長期投資。
You'll also need to create a budget to support your likely scaled-down lifestyle. Most people grossly underestimate how much they spend, says Molly Goetz, a financial adviser in Towson, Md.
你還需要製作預算以支持可能需要比以前儉省的生活方式。馬里蘭州陶森市金融顧問Molly Goetz說，大多數人都極大地低估了自己的開支。
After the divorce, you may end up with half of your previous assets but be spending the same amount as before, she says. 'Start thinking about the life you want to lead post-divorce and determine what steps you might need to take to achieve that,' Ms. Goetz says.
她說，離婚後，你的資產可能只是以前的一半，但開支卻還是一樣。Goetz說，要開始設想你希望離婚後過什麼樣的生活，並確定要怎樣做才能實現。

3. Watch and Establish Credit.

3. 留心信用情況並建立信用
Get an individual credit card if you don't have one already, and consider freezing joint credit cards.
如果你還沒有個人信用卡，那麼現在就去辦一張，並考慮凍結聯合信用卡。

Obtain a credit report for yourself, says Anthony Ogorek, a financial planner in Williamsville, N.Y. A credit report will detail balances outstanding as well as open and closed lines of credit.

紐約州威廉斯維爾(Williamsville)的理財規劃師Anthony Ogorek建議，爲你自己準備一份信用報告。信用報告將列出你未清賬款的細節情況以及開放式、封閉式信用額度。
'This can be critical in the event a spouse tries to retaliate by running up credit balances,' he says.
他說，如果配偶企圖通過刷爆信用卡來報復你，那麼這一步就顯得至關重要。
It can also determine if your spouse has opened accounts you are unaware of, says Bonnie Sewell, a financial planner in Leesburg, Va. You can obtain a copy of your report free at .

弗吉尼亞州利斯堡(Leesburg)理財規劃師Bonnie Sewell稱，如果你的配偶開設了你不知道的賬戶，那你可以在這個網站免費獲得信用報告的副本。

4. Watch the Timing.
4. 留意時間
Mr. Gambaccini suggests looking to file your divorce in a year when you're earning less money-for example, when you get no bonus or there is a big decline in the value of your investments. While a court will typically look at income over many years, having a recent decrease in earnings may lower future payments, such as alimony, he says.
Gambaccini建議說，儘量選擇在你收入較少的那一年遞交離婚申請，例如某年你拿不到公司紅利，或你投資的資產價值大幅縮水。他指出，雖然法院通常會參考多年的收入，但如果你近期的個人收入銳減，未來支付的費用（例如贍養費）就可能減少。

During the Great Recession, several of Mr. Gambaccini's clients suffered income declines. 'They saw this as a way to get out of a bad marriage at a discount,' he says.
在金融危機期間，Gambaccini的若干名客戶都經歷了錢包縮水的痛苦。不過他表示，這些客戶將此視爲以較低代價擺脫一段糟糕婚姻的契機。

6. Look into Alternatives.
6. 尋求備選方案
Explore various options for divorce resolution, Mr. Vlasto says. 'Litigation isn't the only option,' he says. 'It's expensive and you have the least amount of control.'
Vlasto說，你可以考慮各種離婚方案。他表示，訴訟並不是唯一的選擇，一來費用昂貴，二來你對結果的掌控最少。

Consider other methods of getting help during your divorce, such as mediation, arbitration and collaborative divorce, depending on your situation.
根據自身的情況，你可以在離婚時考慮使用其他方法，比如離婚調解、申請仲裁和協議離婚。

5. Consider Selling the Family Home.

5. 考慮賣掉共同房產
It can be a mistake to try to keep the marital home, says Mr. Vlasto. While there's often a strong desire to keep it, especially when children are involved, a home is an expensive asset to maintain, he says.
Vlasto說，保留夫妻共同房產可能是個錯誤。他表示，雖然人們往往很想保留房產，特別是在有孩子的情況下，但是房產是一項維護費用昂貴的資產。Maintenance, taxes, homeowners-association fees and insurance all add up quickly.
維護費、稅、業主協會費和保險費加起來可不是一筆小數目。
'All expenses need to be considered,' he says.
他說，所有的費用都需要考慮進去。
Consider whether you'll realistically be able to afford the home post-divorce, especially if your ex-spouse died, became disabled, lost a job or couldn't make alimony payments.

考慮一下 離婚後是否確實能夠供養房產，尤其如果發生以下情況：你的前配偶死亡、成爲殘疾人、失業等導致無法支付贍養費。