If you are sure that you want to get divorced, before you sit down and talk to your spouse about the process, you need to take some actions to prepare yourself for the divorce. Being prepared can help you keep your resolve when you talk to your spouse and can protect you if your spouse has an adverse reaction to your declaration that you want to get divorced.

#1 Start Saving Your Money

A divorce can be an expensive process. On top of having to pay an attorney, you also will have to go through the process of separating your finances and eventually creating two households instead of one. That may mean taking on more rent and utility payments or taking on a car payment. If you were on your spouse's medical coverage, that may mean paying for your own medical coverage. You need to make sure you have money saved up for the legal side of the divorce, and for the reality of creating two separate households.

#2 Go Over Your Finances

Next, you need to go over your finances. It can often be easier to go over your finances and find out information about all your finances before you tell your spouse about wanting a divorce. Sadly, many spouses try to hide financial information, either out of spite or out of an attempt to safeguard the money for yourself.

Get copies of all financial accounts you share; even ones you hold separately that were accumulated during your marriage. That includes copies of the obvious, like your checking and savings account, as well as less obvious financial shared accounts, such as retirement funds and stock options. Get everything you can about your financial life together and make copies of all the information.

#3 Assess Your Digital Life 

It is not uncommon to have shared digital accounts or to have access to each other's passwords. List of all the digital accounts that you share together. Make sure you have the passwords and secret question answers to all those accounts. Figure out if you can separate the accounts.

For the accounts where you share a password, it is time to change all those passwords. You may even want to create an email address that you just use for divorce proceeding that only you know the information for.

Before sitting down to tell your spouse you want a divorce, start saving money for the process. Gather up information and copies of everything connected to your financial life together. Get your digital life in order as well. Work with a divorce lawyer and figure out your options, and then proceed to talk with your spouse about wanting to get a divorce.