If you have recently heard about friends and families announcing that they were divorcing, you are not alone. In fact, January is the month where more divorces are initiated than any other month of the year. There are a number of reasons behind this phenomenon.
First, there may be a financial incentive for people to wait till the next year to file for divorce. Essentially, there may be bonuses that may be part of the marital estate. Also, there may be tax incentives that may be available to married spouses that would not be available if the divorce was completed before the end of the year.
Additionally, a number of potential divorcees do not prefer to go through the holiday season while in the throes of divorce. They may not want to spoil the season for children, and they may not want to incur the wrath of in-laws for ruining Christmas.
Aside from January, divorce filings in Texas continue to hold steady until March. Apparently Valentine’s Day is a make or break point for couples in trouble. The annual day of love is largely considered a barometer for whether a marriage is worth saving. If the day goes well, chances are that the marriage will continue for another year. If it goes bad, it essentially signals the end for the relationship.
So if you continue to hear about couples divorcing, take solace in that this is simply a normal process that occurs every year, and that just like the spring that will come, more people will be announcing wedding engagements.
Source: Post-Gazette.com “From January to March, the divorce rate rises,” Kim Lyons, Jan. 27, 2014
