Connecticut Family Law Blog

In this technological age, much of how people communicate with each other involves electronic devices, whether they be cell phones or computers. Social media is commonplace and some married people have gotten into trouble in their technological communications either by sending what might be construed as inappropriate text messages or by sharing personal information online. Connecticut couples thinking about divorce may want to know what happens to all that data should their marriages crash on the rocks.

Those who think this type of communication is insignificant when it comes to marriage breakups may want to re-evaluate that opinion. Some of this type of correspondence has been used during negotiations of divorce settlements. This type of data is fair game when it comes to trying to prove infidelity. Short of deleting this data, there is nothing much anyone can do to prevent anyone from collecting this information.

Gone are the days when one partner in a marriage had to ask the other for a divorce. That's not to say it's always easy to tell a spouse it's over. If the marriage has been overtly sad and bad for some time, bringing up divorce may not be such a surprise. But if spouses in Connecticut have been living in a state of indifference or apathy, it may be more difficult to broach the subject. 

A couple who is unhappily married may only be making things worse for everyone involved by staying together. When one spouse tells the other he or she wants a divorce, it's likely just the beginning of a long list of questions that need to get answered. That may be part of the reason actually uttering the words, 'I want a divorce,' may be so difficult. But there are ways to try to make the conversation less daunting and uncomfortable. 

Many couples, especially those with significant assets, choose to create prenuptial agreements that outline their individual property and detail certain guidelines and expectations about financial behavior and ownership. These agreements are tremendously useful even to couples who never divorce, allowing each spouse to protect his or her property from the other's debts.

If divorce does occur, having these issues sorted out ahead of time can simplify the divorce process and ultimately benefit both parties as they leave the marriage and begin building new lives for themselves. However, poorly-constructed prenuptial agreements, or those that contain terms or provisions unsupported by the law, may create just as many complications as they propose to solve. This is particularly true if prenuptial agreements involve child custody or child support, which is not allowed by the courts.

Unfortunately, marriage today doesn't always mean til death do part. Some couples who have been married for years find themselves in the untenable situation of having to discuss divorce. Connecticut couples who are aged 50 and over and who are facing a life-changing event may be wondering how divorce will affect their retirement plans. The fact is, since 1990, what is known as gray divorce has doubled; in those circumstances, it seems the longer a couple was married, the more retirement might be affected.

Retirement plans for individuals after divorce definitely may look different from when a couple was married. Gone is a shared home, joint assets and retirement plans. Saying so long to working days may have to be thought about differently after divorce. Living life as a single can be much more expensive than sharing finances with a spouse. Income may be chopped, but the bills will still come, so the first question to answer is can each individual retire when first planned.