In all honesty, there is no best or good time to divorce. Some couples decide to part ways as soon as possible, while others might prefer to wait until the children grow up and leave the home. The longer couples wait to divorce, however, the more financial risk they might face.
If the couple married decades prior, the marital property might become a tangled web. The dependent spouse might also begin to worry about how to move forward without the financial income of the breadwinner spouse. These are setbacks to consider, but couples do overcome them.
Divorce rising among older people
Divorcing when older is fairly common in America. Forbes notes that while divorce rates declined among couples from 25 to 39 years old, the opposite occurred with older couples. People over 50 saw a 109% increase in divorces. Even when couples did not at first intend to divorce, new issues can arise at this point when children leave the home and couples begin to spend more time together.
Reduction in sources of assets
Both dependent spouses and breadwinners see a reduction in how many places they can receive income from and how much, over time. Investments might grow, but high-earning nine-to-five career opportunities might become less available as people near and reach retirement. This presents a challenge even for couples with solid retirement plans.
Rethinking retiring together
The Washington Post points out that when couples first design retirement plans, they usually do so with the expectation to share expenses until the end. However, when retirement income must now support two separate households, this increases expenses exponentially.
If both parties commit to downsizing and compromising, however, they can move past these issues. Working with a financial advisor might also help couples grow their current incomes through investments to ensure they increase their chances of retiring comfortably.
