Salt Lake City Family & Dvorce Law Blog

As the notion goes, with age comes wisdom. For some Utah residents, that wisdom may mean that they now know that their marriages are no longer allowing them to live the lives they had hoped. Many individuals over the age of 50 are choosing to end their marriages, and it is important to understand various divorce matters that will likely come up.

When going through a gray divorce, financial matters will be a major component. Because individuals of this age are likely approaching retirement, it may be important for them to understand that their retirement funds could end up divided as part of their divorces. This action could mean that parties have to deal with less money available during retirement as well as handling the tax implications that come along with transferring retirement funds.

Most Utah residents do not know the ins and outs of family law. As a result, they may not fully know what to expect when they go through divorces. Fortunately, they can help themselves by gaining information on the proceedings ahead and on how to avoid mistakes during important parts of the process, like asset division.

When it comes to dividing assets, knowledge is power. It is wise for divorcing parties to make sure that they have all the documents and records relating to personal and marital finances. These records could include account numbers, Social Security statements and information, amounts paid for significant assets, balances for accounts, and other similar documents. If individuals do not have all the paperwork, they could miss out on important details that could make a substantial difference in their division outcomes.

When Utah residents decide to end their marriages, they may have many ideas about what the upcoming court proceedings will hold. It is certainly important to have goals when it comes to divorce outcomes, but it is also important to make sure that those goals are reasonable. If parties try to pursue unrealistic outcomes or have ulterior motives, cases can quickly become complicated.

For instance, if individuals want to use their court proceedings as a way to seek revenge, they may only be setting themselves up for unnecessary difficulties. Typically, the court does not give favor to a person who believes he or she was wronged in the marriage. Even if a spouse cheated, it is unlikely that the court would award any additional benefits to the "wronged" spouse unless the cheating spouse significantly damaged the couple's finances in the course of the affair.

You may have always considered yourself a private person. You shared aspects of your life with people close to you, with your business associates when necessary and your spouse. However, you and your spouse have decided to end your marriage, and you may fear that your privacy will no longer exist during the legal proceedings.

In divorce proceedings, information and documents do become part of the public record. As a result, almost anyone could access previously disclosed information regarding your life and your business during your marriage dissolution process. Before you resign yourself to such exposure, you may find it interesting to know that you could request to have your divorce records filed under seal.