DadsDivorce.com founder Joseph Cordell talked about “The 10 Stupidest Mistakes Men Make When Facing Divorce” on Bruce Sallan’s radio show “A Dad’s Point of View.”
Cordell said there are certain mistakes that men in particular are more likely to make when going through a divorce.
“There are 10 things that if guys did differently would substantially change the outcome of their case,” Cordell told Sallan. (You can listen to the full interview on divorce mistakes.)
In the interview, Cordell highlighted two critical mistakes: moving out of the marital home and being lazy about your financial record keeping.
“Most people will agree that when you hear of someone moving out of the house during a divorce it’s always the guy,” Cordell said. “So when there’s an argument and the wife points to the door and says ‘get out’ it’s as if the guy is a guest at a bed and breakfast and it’s checkout time. He’ll run upstairs, pack his bags, and walk out the door with his tail between his legs.”
While acknowledging that it can certainly be difficult living in the same house while going through a divorce, Cordell said at the very least men should try and obtain a temporary order so that a judge can make the determination.
“This reflects a couple things. Even if the judge orders you to leave the home, then you are moving out by court order so the judge knows you are leaving the home involuntary,” Cordell said. “So now the judge knows you believe the children are better served living with you while this case is pending, not to mention thereafter, even if you are ordered to leave the home.”
By moving out without a court order and leaving the kids with the mother, Cordell points out that such behavior speaks much louder than words.
“His behavior is saying my wife and I have agreed that the children are better off in her care than mine,” Cordell said. “It’s then characterized that the man has other priorities or that he’s not capable of handling the kids.”
Doing a sloppy job on your financial records is another mistake Cordell addressed.
“For whatever reason, guys are often prone to be very dismissive of these documents,” he said. “They seem to regard it as a simple clerical procedure that they can zoom right through.”
However, accuracy and thoroughness on these financial documents are crucial. Those numbers written down on a piece of paper are going to determine the amount of maintenance to be paid, if any, the amount of child support paid, and the division of assets.
“These numbers are very important and guys need to be much more willing to sit down with them and think them through,” Cordell said.
To listen to the full interview, please visit Bruce Sallan’s website.
Visit the DadsDivorce.com store to purchase “The 10 Stupidest Mistakes Men Make When Facing Divorce.”
