Tax returns
纳税申报表

Your tax returns are a treasure trove of information. As a financial advisor, it is surprising that many women sign their tax return without really understanding the data reported on the documents.
纳税申报表是信息宝库。作为一名财务顾问，我看到很多女性会在没有真正理解纳税申报表数据的情况下签字，这实在是出人意料。

Ideally, you should have access to tax returns for the most recent three years as well as the supporting documents used to prepare those returns, including W-2, 1099 and K-1 forms. If you do not have access to a return, you should either contact your tax preparer or complete IRS Form 4506 to request a copy.
理想情况下，你应该准备近三年的纳税申报表及当时准备申报表的证明文件，包括W-2、1099和K-1表格。如果找不到申报表，应联系报税员或准备完整的国税局4506表格以申请副本。

Lifestyle analysis
生活方式分析表

It is critical that you gain an understanding of what your expenses are both before and after a divorce. When outlining your expenses, be realistic and do not leave anything out. Often, a one-time expense develops into a recurring expense, resulting in an underestimation of your true spending needs.
了解离婚前后的支出费用至关重要。列开支清单时，一定要遵循实际，不要遗漏。通常情况下，一次性开支会发展成经常性开支，导致你低估了真正的开支需求。

While government statistics show that we are currently in a low-inflation world, this often does not translate into reality. Health care and education costs have increased at a faster rate than core inflation.
虽然政府的统计数据表明我们目前正处于低通胀时期，但现实情况却并非总是如此。医疗保健和教育费用正以高于核心通胀的速度增长。

Underestimating expenses could derail your long-term plans.
低估支出费用或破坏长期计划。

Fortunately, there are tools to simplify the collection of this data. Online expense trackers, such as mint.com or mvelopes.com, streamline the process and link directly to your bank and credit card accounts to pull necessary information. In addition to online trackers, you should secure three years' worth of your monthly bank and credit card statements to verify prior spending.
幸运的是，简化这些数据的方法有很多。mint.com或mvelopes.com等在线开支追踪工具可简化记录开支的过程，而且可以直接与银行、信用卡账户关联，以获取消费信息。除了在线开支追踪器，你还应该准备近三年的月度银行账单和信用卡账单，以核查先前的支出。

It is important for you to determine not only historical spending, but also likely spending in the future.
做到这一点很重要：既要确认先前的支出，也要确认今后的支出。

Net-worth statement
净资产报告

Ultimately, you will need to file a financial affidavit that provides the courts with an assessment of you and your spouse's current financial situation, including income, expenses, assets and liabilities. Tax returns should provide clarity about income. The lifestyle analysis will bring greater understanding of your spending, while the net-worth statement will tally your assets and liabilities.
最后，你需要提交一份经济证明，以让法院了解你和配偶的当前经济状况，包括收入、支出、资产和负债。纳税申报表明确了收入；生活方式分析表进一步列出了支出；净资产报告则明确了资产和负债。

Knowing how to access this information is critical to ensure that the reported amount is correct, but also to confirm there are no omissions. You should secure supporting documents regarding any investment, banking and savings accounts, as well as information about any employer-sponsored retirement plans.
获得这些信息的方式对于确保数据的正确性至关重要，而且还可以核查有无遗漏。此外，你还应准备以往有关投资、银行账户和储蓄账户的证明文件，以及雇主出资设立退休金计划的信息。