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Grey Divorce Financial Planning In New Jersey

Divorce at 50 and older changes the retirement math. We help you protect what you have built and plan the next chapter with confidence.

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  • FiduciaryLegally obligated to put your interests first
  • CFP®Certified Financial Planner professionals
  • CDFA®Certified Divorce Financial Analyst professionals
  • Red Bank, NJLocal advisors rooted in Monmouth County
  • 50+ YearsCombined advisory experience

When Divorce And Retirement Arrive Together

Grey divorce, meaning divorce at age 50 and older, raises questions a younger couple rarely faces. Decades of retirement savings must be divided. Social Security claiming decisions become part of the settlement. Health coverage, the family home, and estate plans all need rethinking, often with little time before retirement to recover from a mistake.

From our Red Bank office, we help clients across Middletown, Monmouth County, and beyond navigate these decisions. Our team combines the Certified Divorce Financial Analyst® designation with CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ training and decades of retirement and investment planning experience.

We work alongside your attorney or mediator to value assets after taxes, model how each settlement option supports your retirement, and rebuild your plan once the decree is final. Doug Lyons speaks directly to these situations in his videos Grey Divorce for Stay at Home Moms in New Jersey and Grey Divorce Financial Questions for Career Moms in NJ.

Why Divorce After 50 Changes The Math

Later-life divorce is far more common than it once was, and the research on its financial consequences is sobering. Careful planning can make a measurable difference.

2x Since 1990

The divorce rate for U.S. adults aged 50 and older roughly doubled between 1990 and 2010, a trend researchers named the grey divorce revolution.

Nearly 40%

of divorcing persons in the United States are now aged 50 or older, up from about 8 percent in 1990.

45% And 21%

Research tracking adults after a grey divorce found women's standard of living fell by 45 percent and men's by 21 percent, with both experiencing roughly a 50 percent drop in wealth.

The 10-Year Rule

If your marriage lasted at least 10 years, you may be eligible for Social Security benefits based on your former spouse's earnings record, a factor that can shape both settlement timing and claiming strategy.

How We Help With Grey Divorce

Our grey divorce work centers on the decisions that matter most after 50. For other approaches, see our related divorce planning services.

Retirement Asset Division

Valuing and dividing 401(k)s, pensions, and IRAs, including QDRO coordination and the trade-offs between retirement assets and other property such as the home.

Social Security Claiming Analysis

Evaluating your options, including potential benefits on a former spouse's record, and how claiming age interacts with your settlement and retirement income plan.

Health Coverage And Insurance Review

Planning for coverage between divorce and Medicare eligibility, and reviewing life and long-term care insurance in light of the settlement.

Post-Divorce Retirement Planning

Rebuilding a retirement income plan on one income and one balance sheet: budgeting, investment strategy, beneficiary updates, and estate plan coordination.

Divorce Financial Planning Overview

Our full overview of divorce financial planning services in Middletown and Monmouth County.

Collaborative Divorce Financial Planning

Serving as the financial neutral for couples resolving their divorce outside of court.

Serving Monmouth County From Red Bank

Our office is at 125 Half Mile Road, Suite 200 in Red Bank. We work with clients throughout Middletown, Rumson, Fair Haven, Holmdel, Colts Neck, and the wider Monmouth and Ocean County area, with in-person and virtual meetings available.

Oceanic Capital Management LLC

125 Half Mile Road, Suite 200
Red Bank, NJ 07701

Phone: 732-933-2695

Email: ocmsupport@oceaniccap.com

Meetings: In person or virtual, by appointment

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Why Clients Facing Grey Divorce Choose Us

Grey divorce sits at the intersection of divorce planning and retirement planning. Few decisions benefit more from having both skill sets on your side of the table.

We are an independent Registered Investment Advisory firm in Red Bank with decades of retirement planning experience, and our team holds the CDFA® designation focused on the financial side of divorce.

  • Fiduciary Standard Of Care

    As an independent Registered Investment Advisory firm, our advisory recommendations are made in your best interest, with advice designed around your goals rather than product sales.

  • CDFA® Divorce Training

    Our team holds the Certified Divorce Financial Analyst® designation, training focused specifically on the financial side of the divorce process.

  • A Team Approach

    We work alongside your attorney or mediator, organizing financial data, building long-term projections, and modeling settlement scenarios.

  • Local To Monmouth County

    We meet clients in person at our Red Bank office on Half Mile Road, or virtually, wherever you are in the process.

Douglas J Lyons, CFP, CFA, CDFA

Douglas J Lyons, CFP®, CFA®, CDFA®

Managing Director

A Certified Divorce Financial Analyst® with more than 30 years of wealth management experience, including prior roles with UBS Private Wealth Consultants and Merrill Lynch's planning team. Doug leads our divorce financial planning work, from settlement analysis to post-divorce rebuilding.

Thomas H. Yorke, CFP

Thomas H. Yorke, CFP®

Managing Director

A CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional with more than 30 years of institutional and retail investing experience across EF Hutton, Lehman Brothers, and Refco Securities, focused on portfolio construction, fixed income, and diversification. A lifelong Monmouth County resident.

Request A Grey Divorce Planning Consultation

If you are facing divorce at 50 or older and want clear numbers behind every decision, we would welcome a conversation. Schedule a time that works for you, or call our Red Bank office to get started.

Request A Consultation Or Call 732-933-2695

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a grey divorce?
Grey divorce refers to divorce among adults aged 50 and older. Researchers at Bowling Green State University documented that the divorce rate for this group roughly doubled between 1990 and 2010, and adults 50 and older now make up nearly 40 percent of divorcing persons in the United States.

How are retirement accounts divided after a long marriage in New Jersey?
New Jersey follows equitable distribution, so retirement savings accumulated during the marriage are generally marital property. Workplace plans such as 401(k)s and pensions usually require a qualified domestic relations order (QDRO) to divide, while IRAs are transferred under a separate process. After a long marriage, most of a retirement balance is often marital, which makes careful, tax-aware valuation especially important.

Can I collect Social Security based on my ex-spouse's record?
Possibly. If your marriage lasted at least 10 years and you meet the other requirements set by the Social Security Administration, you may be eligible for benefits based on your former spouse's earnings record. Claiming on an ex-spouse's record does not reduce their benefit. We model these options as part of your retirement income plan.

What happens to my health insurance after a grey divorce?
If you were covered under your spouse's employer plan, that coverage generally ends with the divorce. Depending on your situation, options can include continuation coverage, marketplace plans, or employer coverage of your own until Medicare eligibility at 65. We help you budget for this gap as part of the settlement analysis.

Should I keep the house in a grey divorce?
It depends on your full financial picture. Keeping the home often means giving up retirement assets of similar face value, and the two are not equal once taxes, liquidity, and upkeep are considered. We model what keeping or selling the home means for your long-term retirement income before you decide.

Do you work with my divorce attorney?
Yes. We work alongside your attorney or mediator as the financial specialist on your team, providing account inventories, after-tax valuations, and long-term projections that inform negotiations. We do not provide legal advice.