After 31 years of marriage we are suddenly headed for divorce. With property, 401k, separate bank accounts and life insurance, is there a way to divorce without lawyers involved?
Yes, you can do it yourself. However, I would not recommend it. I recently answered a question on AB about a spouse wanting to know how to collect his half of the other spouses 401k. It appeared by his question that he did a do-it-yourself divorce. As a result, he most likely gave up his rights in his divorce decree. A lawyer will explain to you what you are legally entitled to, and make sure the decree is adequately implemented. The most common problem with DIY divorce kits is that people don’t account for all assets in the decree, and the kits use a catchall langauge that disposes of assets not specifically listed.
