This is general education, not legal or financial advice. Consult professionals for your situation.

Divorce is reshaping later life. While overall US divorce rates have fallen, "gray divorce" — divorce among people 50 and older — has climbed sharply: the rate among that group roughly tripled between 1990 and 2023, and the over-65s are the only age band where it's still rising, according to Pew Research. It is also financially perilous in a way that divorce at 30 is not — there are fewer working years left to recover, and a lifetime's savings must suddenly support two homes instead of one. Here are the money questions to settle before filing.

1. Inventory everything

Start with a complete map of assets and debts: bank and brokerage accounts, retirement plans, the home, vehicles, insurance and liabilities. Pull recent statements. You can't divide fairly what you haven't fully counted.

2. Know how retirement accounts split

This is where costly mistakes happen. Workplace plans — 401(k)s and pensions — are divided using a QDRO (Qualified Domestic Relations Order), a court order that lets a plan be split without triggering taxes or early-withdrawal penalties, per the IRS. IRAs work differently: they aren't split by QDRO but via a "transfer incident to divorce" spelled out in the decree, moving funds trustee-to-trustee so the transfer stays tax-free. The trap to avoid: don't simply withdraw and hand over cash — that can mean income tax plus a 10% penalty if you're under 59½.

3. Check the Social Security rules

A genuine bright spot: if the marriage lasted at least 10 years, you may be able to claim Social Security on your ex-spouse's record once you reach claiming age — without their permission, and without reducing what they receive, the Social Security Administration explains. (Other conditions apply, including, in some cases, having been divorced for at least two years.) For a spouse who earned less or stepped back from work, this can be a meaningful piece of retirement income — worth checking before you finalize anything.

4. Decide what to do with the home

Keeping the family house is emotionally appealing and often financially heavy. Weigh the mortgage, taxes, insurance and upkeep against its value and how easily you could tap that equity. Sometimes selling and splitting the proceeds is cleaner — and less risky — than one spouse buying the other out and shouldering the whole cost alone.

5. Mind the health-insurance gap

If you've been covered under a spouse's plan, losing it is a real exposure, especially before Medicare eligibility at 65. COBRA can extend an employer plan for a period, but it's pricey; a divorce is also a qualifying life event that opens a special enrollment window on the ACA marketplace. Budget for this gap deliberately.

6. Update beneficiaries and estate documents

Your will, powers of attorney, health-care proxy and beneficiary designations on retirement accounts and life insurance very likely still name your ex. Beneficiary forms in particular often override a will, so update them promptly rather than assuming the divorce handles it automatically.

7. Build a realistic new budget — and get help

Two households cost far more than one, and many people underestimate that. Map your post-divorce income (including any support payments and your share of assets) against real expenses. Given the stakes — taxes, retirement, housing, insurance — a financial adviser, a family-law attorney and a tax professional are not indulgences; the right advice usually pays for itself.

The bottom line

Gray divorce is rising precisely among the people with the least time to rebuild. The emotional decision is personal; the financial one rewards preparation. Settle the retirement-account mechanics, the Social Security math and the insurance gaps before you file, and you turn a daunting transition into a manageable one — with far fewer expensive surprises later.