Certain months commemorate specific events - February is Black History Month. April is National Autism Awareness Month. May is National Pet Month. September is National Honey Month. But did you know that January has become Divorce Month? 'Divorce Month': In January, 'ex' marks the spot, by Sarah LeTrent, cnn.com, January 17, 2014. According FindLaw.com's analysis of divorce filings from 2008 - 2011, there was a spike in divorces in January, and a rise and peak in late March.
There are several purported reasons for this trend:
1. A person may be thinking about divorce before or during the holidays, but don't want to be considered a heartless scrooge by filing during the holiday season. Someone who visits a divorce attorney in January has likely been thinking about it for some time, but chose to wait until after the holidays.
2. Financial reasons can play a big role in waiting until the beginning of the year. Waiting until January will not interfere with tax filings for the previous year and a couple may still file jointly for that year. In addition, if a spouse gets a bonus at the end of the year, this asset will be considered marital.
3. Many people look at their lives at the beginning of the year and make resolutions, which may make them realize that they need to make a change in order to lead a happier life.
Though this seems to be the current trend, waiting until the beginning of the year certainly doesn't work for everyone. There is never a "good time" to tell your spouse you want a divorce. Thebest thing to do is to be honest and upfront, do not cast blame, and agree to work together to resolve everything as amicably as possible.