Most people already know that unless they have a prenuptial agreement in place, divorce means their assets will get split with their spouse. The same is true of debts acquired during the marriage. Florida is an equitable distribution state, which means that all marital assets will get divided between you and your spouse by the courts. Marital assets are any assets accumulated during the marriage.
A recent study by Carnegie Mellon University indicates that the outcome of a divorce can affect children physically even decades later. If an adult child’s parents ended up not speaking to one another after divorce or separation, the study found, the adult child was more likely than other adults to catch the common cold. If their parents remained in contact after the divorce, however, there was no additional risk of catching a cold.
According to the Pew Research Center, the number of people over the age of 50 who live with their partner, to whom they are not married to, is skyrocketing. The rate of “gray cohabitation” grew by an astounding 75 percent between 2007 and 2016. That’s a rise from 2.3 million to 4 million over the course of a decade among those over 50. The number of cohabitaters over age 65 doubled over the same period.
According to the Gallup organization, adults in the U.S. have come to see both marriage and divorce differently than they had in the past. The group concludes that most demographic groups in America no longer see marriage and divorce in moral terms, but rather as formal legal processes.
Divorcing after 50 may seem like a terrifying prospect. However, you may be better equipped to handle a divorce versus women that are in their twenties or thirties. You have had time to establish yourself financially. In addition, you may also be able to handle the rollercoaster of emotions and mental challenges due to your life experiences.
If you’re getting a divorce, you may want to consider mediation to help you resolve the distribution of property, support and parenting issues. Mediation has many advantages, including the low cost, flexibility and confidentiality, among others. Yet you may wonder if mediation can be an effective way to resolve issues that are real sticking points — the issues that keep you from filing your divorce as uncontested.
