To the extent of marriage, the Marital Settlement Agreement (MSA) is the highest document you can ever make someone sign. Although this is put in place by way of the divorce decree, the MSA is the mechanical safeguard that powers up your new life.
Take Command of Your Empire
Do not get a stranger in a black robe to decide your financial future. You are out of control when you get to court. Once more, an MSA puts the power back in your hands.
What to be the CEO: You determine who retains the house, assets, and investments.
Kill the Debt: It is important to state clearly the person who pays for which credit card. You cannot afford to go with luck with your credit rating.
No Spousal Surprises: Delimit alimony now so that there is no he said she said tussle later.
Protect Your Privacy
An disagreed divorce is a spectacle. All dispute about your SUV or your savings is recorded. A Marital Settlement Agreement is a peace treaty between you.
Stay Out of Court: Keep your dirty laundry off the street.
Save Your Sanity: Don’t go to trial and sit in the hot seat.
The Power Move: Negotiation makes you realize that you are too old to be referred to settle scores.
Rules for the Kids
A Marital Settlement Agreement is their parents’ bible when children are involved. The bane of the happy post-divorce life is vague language. You need surgical precision.
The Schedule: Starting with hourly pickup and holiday shifts.
The What-Ifs: Take into consideration changes of location, new marriage, and life-threatening conditions.
Financial Security: Spell out child support and college funds to make sure that the future of your children is not questionable at any point.
Boundaries: Stipulate bounds that must not be overstepped by your ex.
Finality: The Power of the Dotted Line.
As soon as you put your signature on it, the nature of power changes. You do not negotiate any longer; you impose. This is the ultimate closure.
Close the Loopholes: A radical MSA rivets his every window so that your ex will not find it possible to come back and do you again in two years.
Permanent Protection: It has got all the weight of the law when it is a part of the decree.
Stop Living in the Past: You are now able to invest one hundred percent in your future as the game has been laid down.
FAQs
What is the difference between a marital settlement agreement vs divorce decree?
A separation agreement is a time-out for couples who are separated. The ultimate agreement, called MSA, is the game over. The one you really use in your divorce.
Is an MSA the same as a divorce?
No. The deal (the contract) is the MSA, and your legal status is the divorce. People can signalize a signed deal months before the time a judge officially announces it to be final.
What about writing a settlement agreement?
Don’t wing it on a napkin. Individually list all the assets and debts. Use a professional template, have it checked over to make sure that your ex has no back door to your future money.
Smart Divorce Network is a blogger-based community that gives divorce professionals a unique platform to share insights and knowledge. Smart Divorce Network is the leading destination for smart divorce discussions between peers. You can share your thought and/or your articles here.
