Tips to win the divorce war

Name: Tips to win the divorce war
Uploaded: 2024-02-15T22:54:56+00:00
Duration: 18 min 1 s
Description: Planning for your divorce: 9 tips – your attorney will thank you. Treat this like a war. Divorce is not a single battle. It is a process and you need to plan to win. 1. Gather the docs. 2. Secure the docs 3. Inventory the personal property 4. Place values on things (real values not pie in the sky) 5

By Patrick Nolan February 15, 2024

Planning for your divorce: 9 tips – your attorney will thank you. Treat this like a war. Divorce is not a single battle. It is a process and you need to plan to win.

1. Gather the docs.

2. Secure the docs

3. Inventory the personal property

4. Place values on things (real values not pie in the sky)

5. Move things you cannot afford to lose to the safe place you identified

6. Absolutely do not start liquidating property

7. Get a PO Box

8. Open a separate bank account

9. Information security

Bonus:

10. Close unnecessary accounts and cards

11. Budget, Budget, Budget

After your divorce is finalized, remember to update your estate planning documents. Learn why you should update your will, discover 5 things every new parent needs to know about wills, and understand estate planning in Missouri for new parents.

divorce family law

Last updated on February 7, 2026

Patrick Nolan

Patrick Nolan is an estate‑planning and veterans-law attorney serving families throughout Northeast Missouri. After more than a decade in the courtroom handling thousands of criminal and family law matters, Patrick shifted his practice to help clients avoid court altogether. Today he concentrates on wills, trusts, powers of attorney, asset-protection strategies, and guiding veterans through pension and disability benefits. As a disabled veteran and former chair of the Missouri Bar’s Veterans and Military Law Committee, Patrick understands the unique challenges service members face. He applies that insight to navigate complex VA regulations and ensure veterans receive the benefits they’ve earned. Patrick also educates the public through his “Pat Talks Law” YouTube channel, which features practical guidance on estate planning, trust administration, probate avoidance, and veterans’ issues. Before practicing law, Patrick spent years as an award‑winning journalist with Scripps‑Howard and Gannett, publishing thousands of articles for outlets such as USA Today, the St. Louis Post‑Dispatch, and the Springfield News‑Leader. The investigative and communication skills he honed in journalism now inform his meticulous approach to legal work. Away from the office, Patrick is an avid woodworker who enjoys sharing his craft with his children and making toys and gifts for kids at Christmas. He coaches youth soccer, volunteers with Scouts BSA, supports the arts through local theatre, and is a past president of the North Star – Kirksville Rotary Club, where he still lives the organization’s four‑way test.

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