Clinton Township Divorce Law Blog

Being married to the same person for decades is the dream of most newlyweds. However, long-term married couples also experience marital issues, and in some cases, they choose to divorce when these issues are too profound to deal with. Psychology Today explains gray divorce and how many people have misconceptions when older people elect to dissolve their marriages. 

Gray divorce is often associated with a mid-life crisis. According to the cliche, one spouse, usually the man, feels resentment about lost youth and wants to seek out new, exciting opportunities. While this situation has occurred to many people, gray divorce is often more complex than that. For many, the problems that led to the divorce began decades before, but spouses pushed them aside while raising kids and going through other life milestones. 

Along with many other estate planning tools, beneficiary designations are a crucial part of passing your assets along to heirs after you're gone. They apply to things like retirement accounts and life insurance policies, the proceeds of which will automatically go to whoever is designated on the form. While this is certainly convenient, you must ensure that you're taking the right steps, as explained by Kiplinger. 

The biggest concern is not updating beneficiary designations when necessary. For example, if you're faced with a divorce it's essential that you look over all estate planning documents to ensure they still reflect your wishes. Keep in mind that beneficiary designations override wills and trusts. As a result, if you update other documents but keep beneficiary designations the same, your assets will go to those parties named regardless of what your will states. 

Social media usage during a divorce can be a touchy subject. While it might feel good to get things off your chest, you could find yourself in hot water for any posts you make involving your former spouse. To keep you on the straight and narrow until your divorce is final, Prevention offers the following advice. 

Divorces are often tense. Even under the best of circumstances, you're likely to feel some level of stress when it comes to hashing things out with your ex. Keep this in mind if you're tempted to blame, bash, or otherwise insult your ex online. These barbs are only likely to increase tension between you, which will serve to make your divorce even more acrimonious. It can also hurt your children, who will still have a strong connection to your ex-partner regardless of how you feel. 

It's natural to feel guilty after the end of your marriage. However, not properly dealing with these feelings can have a range of ill-effects, both on you and your family. In this case, Psych Central offers some tips on how you can face the guilt that you feel and eventually overcome it. 

Keep in mind that it's rare that a divorce occurs because of the actions of a single person alone. In many cases, both parties bear some responsibility for what transpired. It's also possible that you and your spouse naturally grew apart or faced irreconcilable differences. It's equally possible that you tried your best to save the marriage but to no avail. This may lead to feelings of failure, which you might look at as your own fault for not doing more.