'Gray divorce' — people getting divorced later in life — is on the rise. Here are an attorney's insights on handling separation when you're older.
- Nicole Sodoma is the founder and managing attorney of Sodoma Law, a family law and separation law firm in Charlotte, North Carolina.
- Although 'gray divorce' has only recently entered the public eye, Sodoma says she's been dealing with these types of divorces for over two decades.
- She says the rise could be caused by a variety of factors, such as longer life expectancy and increased financial independence, which might empower unhappy couples to separate.
- Unlike young divorcées, older couples may have additional concerns to address, including division of retirement benefits, confusion over beneficiaries, and more complicated marital estates to divide up.
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"Gray divorce," also known as "silver splitter" or "diamond divorce," is a term used to refer to the increasing trend of late-in-life divorces. This term first became mainstream in 2004, when AARP published a study on divorce at "midlife and beyond," and is generally used to describe adults aged 50 or older who are going through a separation.
The differences between going through a gray divorce and getting divorced when you're younger
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