Thanks for sharing your thoughts JC.

Even in the case of an amicable divorce, there will still be some costs associated with the process. Filing for divorce, even without an attorney, still has filing fees that vary by state.

Additionally, if you are only getting divorced for student loan purposes and wish to remain a couple in all other aspects, there are some additional costs you may incure. For example, if your former spouse ends up in the hospital, you have no rights to visit or give input on treatment. If you or your former spouse die unexpectedly, the divorce can cause a ton of issues. Preparing documents like a power of attorney and a will or trust can address some of these issues, but it costs time or money, sometimes both, to prepare these documents.

Another consideration is health insurance. By being divorced, your health insurance costs may go up.

Are there times where getting a divorce makes more sense from a financial perspective? Absolutely. However, I don’t think its fair to say that there isn’t any cost to a divorce.

I totally agree, Jim! This writer missed one important little detail: if a couple is contemplating divorce to enable lower student loan payments, there will be no divorce penalty or additional expense as mentioned in the article. Those couples would be on the same page, there would be no money to attorneys, no dividing up assets, no child support. Divorced couples in this situation would still live together without getting hosed by attorneys, judges, guardian ad litems, state and federal governments. It’s honestly the best option. Single status IBR for 20 years.