GRAY
DIVORCE
By: Katy L. Chase, CFP®, MBA
The general consensus is that the hardest years of marriage include sleepless nights of crying babies,
overstretched schedules, balancing work and home life, and the stressful planning of finances. Once the
shared goals of raising kids and making it to retirement are achieved, life is smooth sailing, right?
However, an increasing number of couples are turning to divorce after completing the journey of raising
children. Gray divorce refers to couples divorcing after 20, 30, even 40+ years of marriage. Below are
four considerations for those going through, or exploring the option of, a gray divorce.
Time doesn't make it easier.
After decades of marriage, a couple's emotional, physical,
and financial lives are completely intertwined. The pain is the
same, if not worse, than a divorce of a younger couple.
While custody battles won't likely be of center importance at
this stage, the emotional pain of a separation, reality of
physically changing residence (who keeps the family home?),
and splintering of finances all rise with ma