Does Age Impact Divorce Settlements?

A variety of studies have been done over the years into how age at marriage affects the likelihood of divorce. But in terms of actual impacts on the divorce process itself, there are different considerations to keep in mind.

• Alimony: Alimony is generally meant to be temporary to allow a spouse to maintain their standard of living until they’re fully capable of supporting themselves. However, if a spouse is at or near retirement age, the order could become permanent, as it would be unreasonable to expect them to gain significant education or training to bring up their earning capacity.
• Child custody: If there is a significant age gap between spouses, the court might feel as though the older spouse will not be as capable of keeping up with the children, and thus may find it in the child’s best interest to spend more time with the younger parent. Of course, this is only one of the factors a judge will take into account in custody harings, but it’s at least something to consider.
• Property division: Age could impact some property division decisions. For example, the person who gets the marital home could be influenced by age, especially if an older spouse is unable to move residences or needs to stay in their home for medical reasons.
• Certain assets: Older divorcing couples are more likely to have assets like pensions, Social Security and retirement benefits to consider as part of the divorce, which could mean the divorce will need to account for significantly larger amounts of money than a divorce with a younger couple.

For more information about how age can impact divorce, contact an experienced Long Island divorce attorney at Bryan L. Salamone & Associates.