Paul Horton: Update Your Insurance Policies After a Divorce

One of the first things you’re going to want to do after your divorce is finalized is check all of your insurance policies and make any changes needed to your coverage and your beneficiaries. If you have an agent that assists you with all of your plans, schedule a meeting with them as soon as possible so that you can review all of your coverage.

Some of the items you’ll want to review include the following:

Health insurance. If you were covered on your ex-spouse’s health insurance plan, there are some strict time limits in place to allow you to sign up for a new plan. This is something you should aim to get taken care of as quickly as possible because of those time limits.

Life or disability insurance. If you own life insurance, you’ll most likely want to change your beneficiary from your ex-spouse to someone else. Even if you don’t necessarily intend to make this change because your ex-spouse would still be raising your children if you were to pass, you’re still going to have to fill out new paperwork, because your original paperwork was likely nullified by your divorce.

In some situations, spouses agree during divorce negotiations to purchase life insurance together with children as beneficiaries. If this is the case for you, you’ll want to follow up with the insurance company to make sure that everything is in order, and inform them that they should notify you if there are any changes to the policy or problems with payments. Make sure that the insurance company has a copy of your divorce order.

Car insurance. You should get in touch with your insurance provider to make sure you are the sole owner of your property. Get a copy of your insurance declaration page that lists your coverage, including information about who is covered on your plan.

Does Cohabitation Before Marriage Cause Divorce? Short Answer: No

It is inevitable that people wonder how and why their marriage soured. Couples who lived together prior to marriage can breathe a sigh of relief—it did not cause your divorce.

In recent decades, the rate of cohabitation in the United States has risen approximately 900 percent. A recent study published in the Journal of Marriage and Family looked at the idea that living together prior to marriage is a risk factor for divorce.

Using data from the National Survey of Family Growth, the research reviewed data from several thousand women from years, 1995, 2002 and 2006 through 2010. Some key points of the study include:

Living together is now common. About 70 percent of women currently aged 30 to 34 have lived with an unmarried male partner.
Approximately two-thirds of newly married couples lived together for an average of 31 months prior to marriage.
Cohabitation is not a risk factor for divorce. The study found couples who live together, or marry, at younger ages are equally likely to divorce. The presence of a marriage license is not a factor, but age and maturity are.
The study suggests couples who wait until after age 23 to marry or live together have a greater likelihood of long-term relational success.

Study author Professor Arielle Kuperberg, of the University of North Carolina, notes younger couples who marry or live together are less emotionally and financial stable.

Couples who settle down younger may be less likely to continue their education. Previous studies suggest lower levels of education are associated with higher rates of divorce.

Everyone questions their reasons for marrying—and for their divorce. While living together may bring a couple closer, it does not ultimately cause their divorce.

Free Consultation with a Divorce Attorney

If you have a question about divorce law or if you need to start or defend against a divorce case in Utah call Ascent Law at (801) 676-5506. We will help you.