Somewhere around 2007, a new phrase entered the vocabulary of the divorce attorney: “gray divorce.” It was once virtually unheard of for couples who had been together for decades to divorce, no matter how decayed the bonds of their matrimony — now, it’s becoming much more commonplace. Some divorce attorneys think they know the reason for the trend — it’s really as simple as the fact that human longevity has increased. People are living longer and staying healthier well into their seventh and eighth decades. Only a few generations past, someone who was aged 60 or older might decide that the hassle of a divorce was pointless, given how much longer he or she expected to live an active lifestyle. Now, people approaching their 60s are seeing a future for themselves with another 20-25 healthy, active years and deciding that they don’t want to spend the last 20-25 years of their lives in a miserable marriage. Hopefully, you can avoid joining their ranks by following a few simple pieces of advice; — Don’t assume that just because you’re okay with the marriage that your spouse is also okay with the marriage. Talk about where you each are, emotionally, as you start to approach those “gray” years. — Take a frank assessment of your romantic life. Is it what you need it to be? Have all the other hassles of life gotten in the way and made you forget to pay attention to that part of your relationship? It’s time to

Hidden assets are a major concern for divorce lawyers. Not only are they illegal, they can end up causing major headaches down the road. That’s exactly what lies behind the troubles facing the Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts. The Institute was gifted a total of $63 million over the years by it’s largest benefactor — which certainly has earned him some significant accolades that he must value far more than the money. Unfortunately, it seems like a portion of those funds were part of the marital assets that he actively hid from his wife at the time of their divorce. Now, she would like her portion paid back — which could put the Institute in a crunch if it has already spent or allocated the money to one of its programs. It will also likely tarnish the reputation of its benefactor permanently, despite the size of his donations. The Institute’s benefactor and his wife of 50 years divorced in 2010. During the process, the benefactor stated that he did not have any offshore accounts — conveniently forgetting about a tidy $4.5 million tucked away in a Swiss Account. That $4.5 million became part of a larger donation — $40 million — transferred to the Institute in 2014. The Institute’s benefactor may have thought that he was safe from his ex-wife’s scrutiny by then, or that the money would be able to transfer undetected, but that clearly wasn’t the case. Perhaps he thought that it was simply too late, now that

Many couples end up living together at some point to save money on rent and simply for convenience because they’re together all of the time anyway. After awhile, they may end up buying furniture together and splitting the cost of utilities and other household expenses. Too few consider drawing up a cohabitation agreement. However, if a couple has lived together and merged their finances for a period of time, a cohabitation agreement can protect them financially if they split up or if one of them passes away. Many people balk at the idea of a cohabitation agreement for the same reason the couples hesitate to get a prenuptial agreement. They don’t want to contemplate the possibility of a break-up, and assume that if they do go their separate ways, they can resolve property and other financial issues amicably. However, things can get ugly in a break-up and people’s decisions can be driven by emotion. That’s why it’s essential to have legal protections in place so that you don’t suffer financially. Remember that a break-up isn’t the only thing that can put you at risk. What if your partner is suddenly killed in a car accident? What evidence do you have that you paid for at least half of everything the two of you own and that you’re entitled to keep it? If you and your partner have decided to live together in anticipation of one day getting married or perhaps instead of getting married at all, you should consider drawing

A little over a decade ago, the federal government acted to prohibit joint consolidation of loans. However, for couples who opted to consolidate their loans, often to get a better interest rate, prior to that, separating out who owes what in a divorce can be difficult and sometimes impossible. One spouse can get stuck paying far more than he or she owes individually, particularly if the other spouse declares bankruptcy or doesn’t have the means to contribute to the repayment. With student loans, that can run into the tens of thousands and possibly hundreds of thousands of dollars. Paying off one’s own student debt can take decades. However, if your name is on a consolidated loan, you could end up paying your ex-spouse’s debt or risk harm to your credit score. Some people have urged federal legislation that would allow student loans consolidated before such consolidation was banned to be split. However, even though this could impact thousands of people, experts say that’s likely not enough for legislators to consider it worth the time and effort to address the problem. People with joint consolidation loans can apply for repayment plans based on each person’s income. However, that requires the cooperation of both spouses, who must provide financial information. Estranged spouses may not want to cooperate if it would mean more money out of their pockets. In relationships where there has been domestic violence, the victim may well not want to have any contact with his or her abuser. According to