Before Divorcing
1. Open a Bank Account
If you had a bank account prior to marriage, make sure the money is kept
separate from the joint account that you have with your spouse. As long as it is
not combined with your spouse’s money, you remain the legal owner in case of
a divorce.
But if you only had a joint account with your spouse, this is the time to open
yours and start putting money into it. Your partner cannot drain personal
account the same way they could your joint account. However, you need to
know that if you reside in a community state, any amount going into this
account will be deemed a marital property unless you first establish a formal
separation date.