Making Late-Life Divorces Easier

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver announced their separation in May after 25 years together. Tipper and Al Gore separated last year after being married for four decades.

These long-wedded political couples are far from alone. A U.S. Census report issued earlier this year found that, over time, fewer first-time-married couples are making it to their 25th, 30th and 35th wedding anniversaries—even as life expectancies have increased.

Maria Shriver and Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2006: Longtime married couples must wrestle with dividing assets even in an amicable divorce

The data don't indicate how old the couples were when they broke up, says Bradford Wilcox, director of the National Marriage Project at the University of Virginia. But some divorce attorneys and financial planners say they are seeing a growing number of long-married couples call it quits.

via Family Value: Making Late-Life Divorces Easier - WSJ.com.