Baby boomers have been traditionally skeptical of how younger generations live together before marriage. They also have scoffed at people who marry for selfish reasons, as well as those who give up on marriage too quickly. To older Americans, the vow “till death do us part” should be taken seriously as a time-honored tradition even in 2012.
Unfortunately, it appears that times are changing.
A recent report by FoxBusiness.com indicates that baby boomers are the fastest growing segment of divorcees in the U.S. Despite fewer divorces in the last decade, more people over 50 are calling it quits. Reasons abound as to what is sparking this trend, as a number of factors could affect couples’ reasons for splitting up. For Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Schriver, deception and infidelity were definitely the culprits. For Al and Tipper Gore, however, there were no easy answers for their split. Some analysts believe that since baby boomers have the economic feasibility to start anew, that could also be a factor in the trend.
Overall, lack of communication (and respect) are the major reasons why older couples divorce.
When divorce arises, divorcees is an overarching issue since most baby boomers have adult children. They commonly have a greater number of assets to divide than younger couples, so questions about dividing pensions, retirement income and savings must be addressed.
No matter how old the couples are, divorce is an emotional journey, so it is prudent to have legal counsel to answer questions about the law and one’s legal rights.
Source: FoxBusiness.com, Why so many baby boomers are getting divorced, June 23, 2012