For many people, the term “tech”, conjures up an image of that quirky guy who shows up in their office when their computer stops working properly. In reality though, the word is simply an abbreviation of “technology”. And with regard to your reality, it refers to your computer, your laptop, your tablet, and your phone (to name but a few)!. So what does that have to do with divorce? Lots!
After you and your spouse decide to call it quits, you’re probably more focused on handling your shock and grief, and finding a good attorney. Well, wouldn’t everybody? But in this day and age, there are now tech issues that you need to consider as well. Why? Because they will likely have an impact on how your divorce pans out.
We’ve put together a list of the most important things you need to do after you decide to get a divorce. These will help you save important information, and avoid slip-ups that could cost you later. So here goes…
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Get Your Head Out Of The Clouds
Most families use some form of cloud storage nowadays. Whether it’s for copies of important documents, or family photographs, the average household uses Dropbox, SugarSync, Google Drive, or something similar. But if you and your spouse are planning to part ways, a joint account is no longer an option. So you need to sign up for, or purchase, your own independent cloud storage account asap. (And choose a really good password your spouse won’t figure out!)
Then, you’ll need to begin transferring all of your personal and private documents to your own account. Also, make copies of all photographs of your children for your new account. DO NOT take the only copies for yourself, or delete your spouse’s copies after you’ve downloaded your own – this will only make your spouse angry and make things harder in the future!
Additionally, if the divorce is likely to become bitter, and you expect your spouse to be vengeful, the sooner you do this the better! Nothing could be worse than losing access to all of your family pictures and financial documents because your spouse changes the password on you, and then refuses to allow you access to your own data.
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He mail, She mail , Or Joint Email?
While it’s less common these days for couples to share email accounts, as they’re free and easy to come by, it’s still something you need to be aware of. If you and your spouse share an email account, you need to set up your own account as soon as possible, and let all of your contacts know that you have a new email address. And again, choose a hard-to-guess password!
This is partly because privacy is important during a divorce. However, it’s also for the same reason that you need to deal with joint cloud storage: it would be terrible to lose all sorts of personal information because your angry soon-to-be-ex changes the password before you get a chance to access your info. So go through your account, forward all relevant attachments and email histories to your new account, make a copy of your contacts list, and then walk away. Don’t use it again, and let your spouse know that you will no longer be joint on that account.
Do you need help from a skilled Michigan divorce attorney?
Join us next time for the next few items on the list of tech issues you need to consider during a divorce. Until then, if you or a loved one are considering divorce in Michigan, we recommend that you get help from an experienced divorce attorney. The divorce process can be complex, especially when the parting wasn’t amicable! So call The Kronzek Firm today at 866 766 5245, and discuss your situation with a skilled family law attorney. We are here to help!