An alarming fact has surfaced amid the media fascination with aging baby boomers, and it’s not about the number of knee replacements or sales of touring motorcycles: they’re getting divorced.
In 2009, the divorce rate for people in the 50-and-older age group was twice as high as it was in 1990 (10 divorced persons per 1,000 married versus five divorced persons per 1,000 married). By contrast, the overall U.S. divorce rate stayed essentially flat during this 20-year span. AARP has found that among couples aged 40 to 79 who split up, it’s twice as likely to be the wife who initiates the divorce.
The article below is part of a series of articles on this demographic shift, exploring the phenomenon and the role advisors can play.