Divorce does not always happen when you are in your 20s or 30s. Sometimes, you may stay married for decades before you make the decision to end your marriage in Georgia. For those divorcing later in life, the term gray divorce comes into use. The special term helps to distinguish a longer marriage from a shorter one. Plus, it also refers to the age of the couple.
When it comes to a couple who are older and married for a very long time, there will be challenges in a divorce that do not happen for younger couples who have not been married as long. These special situations require more care and attention during the divorce proceedings. If you are looking at a gray divorce, it can help to understand the things you may need to think about that other divorcing couples may not.
- The finances
Forbes mentions that finances can be tricky. This is especially true if you are close to retirement. A divorce at this point could change your retirement plans because you may not be able to financially afford to retire anymore. Because you are accustomed to living together with shared expenses, it can be a shock to have to go at it alone. You may have to pay alimony, which will reduce your available funds even more. - The assets
Being in a marriage for decades means your finances are very intertwined. You may even have various changes throughout your marriage where one of you worked when one of you did not and then you switched places. A gray divorce often means having to pick through the details of your marriage and figure out who owns what and what is marital property. It can be difficult to separate assets because they are so commingled. - The children
While you probably will not have to worry about custody issues, that does not mean you will not have to deal with the impact of your divorce on your children. Sometimes, divorcing with adult children can become more stressful than doing so when they are younger. You can probably expect your children to weigh in on the situation. Also, prepare to deal with unhappy children and even grandchildren if they are old enough.
Gray divorce is a great example that ending a marriage at any time or age is never easy. You always have issues that you must overcome to completely separate your lives.
