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If one is the loneliest number, maybe that's why the first month of the year is the month for going solo—getting divorced, that is.
Odd as it may sound, according to a Marketwatch report, this is the month when divorce rates surge, with people in search of a fresh start filing to shed their mates. And ironically, that's probably going to put them in a big financial hole to start the new year—although a Fidelity study says it doesn't necessarily have to be as financially crippling—or as financially stressful—as it might appear.
Marketwatch says that family lawyers see a one-third boost in their business when January hits, and in the U.K. it's the same, if a tad less pronounced—one in five start looking for greener pastures during this first month of the year.
And interestingly, it cites Misty Heggeness, a principal economist in the U.S. Census Bureau's Research and Methodology Directorate, pointing out that laws that make divorce "easier and quicker" can bring "unexpected positive ripple effects."
Positive effects? No-fault divorce allows women to increase "their economic clout in a marriage by bringing income that they control into the home," she says in the report, and in no-fault divorce states couples are 8 percent more likely to both work outside the home.
But there are still financial pitfalls, and Fidelity points out that more than a third of divorcees still haven't recovered financially five years after their divorce.
Being financially involved during the marriage can lessen the financial stress of a divorce, with 46 percent of respondents wishing they had engaged on finances—and for people who were uninvolved in daily finances while they were married, that regret factor nearly doubles to 81 percent.
Involvement also helps with retirement preparedness after a divorce, with 61 percent of those who were involved in long-term and retirement planning coming out of the process in better financial shape, compared with only 50 percent of those who weren't very involved.
And 28 percent of the involved group were surprised by the cost of living on their own, while 37 percent of the uninvolved felt nasty sticker shock when they had to face solo expenses. In addition, 70 percent of those who were involved feel good about their settlement, compared with just 63 percent of those who stayed out of joint finances while still married.
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Marlene Satter
Marlene Y. Satter has worked in and written about the financial industry for decades.
