'Gray divorce' - people getting divorced later in life - is on the rise. Here are an attorney's insights on handling separation when you're older.

• Nicole Sodoma is the founder and managing attorney of Sodoma Law, a family law and separation law firm in Charlotte, North Carolina.
• Although 'gray divorce' has only recently entered the public eye, Sodoma says she's been dealing with these types of divorces for over two decades.
• She says the rise could be caused by a variety of factors, such as longer life expectancy and increased financial independence, which might empower unhappy couples to separate.
• Unlike young divorcées, older couples may have additional concerns to address, including division of retirement benefits, confusion over beneficiaries, and more complicated marital estates to divide up.
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"Gray divorce," also known as "silver splitter" or "diamond divorce," is a term used to refer to the increasing trend of late-in-life divorces. This term first became mainstream in 2004, when AARP published a study on divorce at "midlife and beyond," and is generally used to describe adults aged 50 or older who are going through a separation.

In 2015, every 10 out of 1,000 couples aged 50 and over got divorced, which was double what their divorce rate had been in 1990. And for those over 65, the increase was even higher - it had roughly tripled in 25 years. In fact, while the overall rate of divorce has continually declined since then, the divorce rate of people over 50 is increasing.

Statistically, gray divorce is and continues to be on the rise, and not just in the United States. Canada, Japan, Australia, India, and the United Kingdom have reported increases in the last decade as well. While in recent years the discussion has become more prevalent online, this is a conversation that many divorce attorneys have grown familiar with for well over two decades.

The rise of gray divorce can potentially be attributed to a variety of things: people are living longer, both spouses are working and are therefore becoming more financially independent, and the stigma associated with divorce has shifted significantly. If you're going through a separation later in life, here's what you need to know.