Baby boomers: in family law, too, bucking the trend

“What we’ve got here is failure to communicate.”

Readers of a certain vintage — especially cinema lovers — might absolutely know that they’ve heard that line before, even if they can’t immediately place it.

It’s from the movie Cool Hand Luke, with prisoner Paul Newman being on the receiving end of harsh conduct doled out by a prison official.

The movie, from 1967, certainly resonates with many baby boomers.

Likely, so does the failed-communication reference, and in a context that goes far beyond mere movie watching.

We draw attention today to an article from our website at the Law Offices of Lisa A. Ruggieri, P.C., an established Wellesley family law firm, discussing so-called “grey divorce” and a relatively high marital dissolution rate for the baby boomer demographic. That article cites evidence that unequivocally implicates lapsed communication between partners as being the primary catalyst driving baby boomer divorces.

And there is no dearth of those. In fact, the boomer demographic — which is often portrayed as the population group most prone to skepticism, iconoclastic behavior and a willingness to shake off the status quo and experiment — has reportedly experienced a spiking divorce rate over the past two decades that diametrically contrasts to an overall decline in divorces in Massachusetts and nationally.

That reality certainly spells uppercase and singular concerns for grey divorcees. As we note in the above-cited article, many married boomer couples have had decades to accumulate wealth and have been empty nesters for some time, with their kids being adults and off on their own.

That often makes financial considerations — read property division and spousal maintenance — of “primary importance” in a grey-divorce proceeding.

It is often imperative that divorcing baby boomers pay closest attention to the economics of a grey divorce. We note that a post-divorce life for a boomer can equate to a “new, exciting future.” Such a life can be better ensured when finances are duly considered and smartly attended to during the divorce process.

A proven family law attorney well experienced in representing clients with asset-related concerns can answer questions and provide diligent legal representation in a divorce matter.