Disclaimer: This article does not constitute legal advice. If you have any questions about your individual situation, it’s best to seek the advice of an experienced legal professional.
Americans over 50 are getting divorced in record numbers. The phenomenon has been called “grey divorce,” and the headlines about the financial consequences are dire. Americans can lose much of their wealth in grey divorces, and the cost of living apart and/or fighting about divorce depletes finances irreparably. Despite what the headlines would suggest, however, divorce doesn’t have to be something that just “happens to you.” It can be an intentional choice that improves people’s lives if handled correctly. Baby boomers who got married young and endured years of incompatibility “for the sake of the children” could be living their best lives apart, but to make this happen, divorces must be strategic rather than sprawling.
Choose a Better Divorce
For baby boomers who got used to the Kramer vs. Kramer stereotype of divorce, the idea of choosing a better divorce can seem like an impossible dream. At Divorce Options San Diego, a happy ending is something that can be intentionally mapped out using expert financial analysis and psychoanalytical/mathematical techniques. As a full-service firm, we can handle the smallest details of your divorce, from paperwork to helping you move out of your home. We can also help you manage the deeper questions involved in divorce. Grey divorce is a huge life event that involves unraveling layers of emotional and financial history. On one level, it is a business deal. On another level, it involves bereavement, but divorce at any age can also be a positive next step.
Don’t DIY
One thing to remember about grey divorce is to get help and not to do it yourself. Why? Rules about social security and retirement accounts are complex, and certain retirement accounts require special court orders that are separate from the divorce decree. Working with a mediator who knows the law and finances will ensure your assets are divided correctly so neither of you loses out. The timing of the divorce and your individual health concerns will also be factors to consider in planning your divorce.
Build a Stable Future for You Both
One consequence of grey divorce is a huge drop in the standard of living for divorcing spouses who have unequal income. One particularly unfair consequence of grey divorce is how the wife (or homemaker of any gender) can be left in a financially unstable state, having sacrificed his or her career to raise children. This spouse may be reentering the job market without significant earning potential, or he or she may be about to retire. At Divorce Options San Diego, we use approaches that ensure the value of all contributions to a marriage are recognized, not just the financial ones.
Untie the Knot Responsibly
When you get a divorce after age 50, there are many factors to consider besides divorce itself. A responsible grey divorce should include a review of your estate plan. Your future healthcare may fall on the shoulders of your children, and if you don’t change your estate plan, your ex may still be responsible for making your medical decisions. A grey divorce usually involves a consideration of future care for yourself, any new partners, and the person who will be doing the caregiving. Mediation helps you review these decisions calmly to factor in everyone involved.
Make Grey Divorce Positive
True, grey divorce is the end of an old life, but it’s also the beginning of a new life. If you’re unfamiliar with apartment-hunting, moving, getting back into the workforce, financial literacy, or any of the practical details of a divorce that many find overwhelming, these can be integrated into your overall divorce. At Divorce Options San Diego, we offer a bundle of services to assist with divorce. We provide transitional life coaching and divorce coaching. Most importantly, we give you the tools to have a truly respectful and amicable divorce. When you tackle the emotional and financial roots of your conflict with your spouse, your grey divorce can then be both a happy ending and a new beginning.
Our Services and How We Can Help
At Divorce Options San Diego, we are highly qualified professional San Diego divorce mediators and certified financial planners with psychoanalytical expertise. We empower divorcing spouses to own their divorce and craft sustainable, effective mutual agreements that will last long after the divorce is finalized. We are a one-stop shop providing a bundle of essential divorce services, from paperwork, court documents, and financial analysis to divorce transition coaching, life coaching, and interior design. We can work with all aspects of your post-divorce life to make your transition as fruitful and empowering as possible. Our services include career coaching, retraining, working with financial wealth advisors and other professionals, arranging moving services, connecting you with realtors, and helping you with interior design for your new space.
The mediators at Divorce Options San Diego are all certified financial planners who apply thorough financial analysis to your divorce to achieve an optimized result that will cover all aspects of your financial situation, including investments, property, and all other assets or debts. Our San Diego divorce mediation process provides a sophisticated review of your community property, separate property, potential community property, allocations and divisions, cash flow, transitional processes, and sustainable financial planning for your divorce process. We help you draft settlement agreements that are fully legally compliant and take into account the needs of the whole family. At Divorce Options San Diego, we emphasize an efficient, caring process that leaves out no detail relevant to your emotional, financial, or legal situation. We have offices in Solana Beach, CA, but we can work with you remotely at your convenience via telephone, video-conferencing apps, and other forms of electronic communication. Please contact us at (858) 281-2628 for a discreet and confidential consultation to see how we can help.
