Gray divorce involves special considerations

On Behalf of | Apr 12, 2021 | Family Law |

There are certain elements that most divorces share in common, regardless of the age of the people parting ways. If you identify as an older adult and are navigating a Virginia divorce, you may face additional considerations younger people facing similar circumstances may not.

For example, you may feel especially concerned about leaving the marriage with enough to retire on, or you may have fears about finding a job at this point in your life. The older you are when your marriage ends, the greater the chances are that you may have to give extra attention to the following.

Division of complex assets

The longer your marriage lasted, the higher the chances are that you two accrued considerable assets together. The more you share together, the more you must untangle. So, the process of asset division may take longer and prove more complicated when you are divorcing later in life than it might otherwise.

Alimony awards

You may have more reason to pursue alimony if you are older and no longer working than you were if you were a young and able-bodied member of the workforce. If you are getting on in life, you may not have the same level of employability as younger people splitting from their partners, meaning you may have an additional need for support.

Retirement considerations

When young people divorce, they may look at retirement as something they do not need to worry about for some time. In your case, though, it may be coming up soon, so you may want to take extra steps to prepare for it.

While these are some of the additional considerations you may face while working through a gray divorce, note that this is not a comprehensive list of all areas that may deserve extra attention.

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