The majority of people who divorce have been married from one month to 15 years. This seems to be the time when people who are disillusioned with marriage decide to call it quits. We focus on these individuals because they have young children and we are concerned for their personal and financial well-being. Now there seems to be another age group interested in going their separate ways. Men and women who have been married 25 years or more are now deciding to divorce.

These people don’t have to worry about child support; their children are on their own. They do however; have other aspects that are unique to their situation.

By this time most are near or at retirement age or possibly both are retired and have not worked in quite awhile. Some have nice retirement incomes, with the mortgage paid off, others don’t. These people are living on pensions and retirement incomes that are barely adequate to sustain two people in one dwelling, let alone two people in two dwellings.

How will they survive? Can the spouses and the courts expect a formerly unemployed 65 years old to return to the work force? This age group needs to pay close attention to finances before divorcing.

There is another consideration. It’s extremely difficult for people of this age group to recover personally. After so many years with the same person, how do they move on…..alone? After all these years why do they want to?

Most likely these people stayed together for the sake of their children. You just don’t wake up after 35 years of marriage and say “ I’m not happy” and then initiate a divorce. The idea had to have been there a long time. Hopefully, along with the idea, they also had a financial plan because settlements of this age group would be based on accumulated assets only. There won’t be spousal support because there isn’t any earning power. This could be the saddest of all situations unless they have a financial plan. This plan would have included major savings and assets in joint names. They would have had to avoid spending money on anything that doesn’t have a monetary value such as travel.

The truth is, that most of these people did not have a plan. They simply wanted to wait until the children were grown, not wanting to upset their lives. Ironically most seniors that get divorced are forced to live with their children! It would have been less upsetting to their children’s lives and to their own, if they had divorced years ago.

This age group cannot recover financially from divorce. Their coping skills are not as strong as it was in their youth. The past with this spouse is so long and the memories are deep. How can they separate who they are from their marriage. How do they start over?

Divorcing seniors need to quickly assess their assets and adjust their living expenses to accommodate their money. There must be cutbacks and compromises made in all purchases. Extensive use of sales and coupons will be necessary for all items that are needed. They will have to be very disciplined in order to survive. Personally, they should get involved in social groups immediately. Volunteering is an excellent way to stay active while contributing to the community and sense of worthiness. Take long walks to get exercise and fresh air. Have fun with your friends.

If you’ve waited this long to divorce, you should enjoy it!