Starting Over at 55: What's the Cost?

  • December 02, 2019
  • Sarah Engel and Brigitte Barsalou, Bales Beall LLP

Your dreams came true. You got married at 30, bought the house with the white picket fence, had two kids and a dog, and lived happily ever after. Fast forward 25 years, the dog is dead, the kids have graduated college, and the white picket fence needs a paint job. You and your spouse have had nothing in common in 15 years, but you wanted to stay together until the kids were out of the house. It'll be a clean break. There are no kids. Right?  

Yes and no. While its true there may not be a drawn out custody battle, a later in life divorce may put a damper on your retirement plan and a hole in your wallet.

Divorces among those in the 50-plus group – often referred to as "grey divorces" – have been on the rise in Canada in recent years and with the baby boomer generation aging, show no sign of slowing down. These divorces pose a unique set of problems.