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Last week, a client asked me if it was unusual for someone of her age to be pursuing a divorce; she was 62-years-old. The short answer – and this is what is told this person – is no. The divorce rate in England and Wales has been in decline for the past several years, yet the number of over-60s that are choosing to divorce has been steadily growing over the same period. So much so that they’ve been christened ‘silver splitters’ by the media. Over the last ten years, the number of over-60s looking to end their marriages has increased by over a third, and 5% of all of Quickie Divorce’s clients fall into this age bracket also. Many are concerned that this new trend will result in more people living along in their twilight years resulting in less support being readily available. Equally concerning, according to reports, is that individuals who are married or living as part of a couple are more likely to report that they are satisfied with life than those who are separated, divorced or widowed. Such assessments can always be challenged, however. Let’s not forget that Kingston University only recently found that divorce greatly increases women’s happiness, for example. As many including myself would argue, divorce is not always undesirable. It can, provided the parties involved have given their decision due consideration, have ensured that they have made adequate arrangements for any children that may be effected (something that is less likely to be an issue when the parties are over-60) and can divide communal assets amicably – or at least with little acrimony – be positive and in the best interest of all involved. So, divorce after sixty is common and, what’s more, is becoming more and more conventional as time passes.