Many of these people may have separated before the divorce became official, which would help explain why wealth starts falling so early. Divorce is often a long and messy process, and you can see this in the four-year decline in wealth.
Getting married for a few years and then getting divorced is clearly not the path to financial independence.
Even a decade after divorce, the median wealth stays below $10,000.
We can't tell from these data the reasons why divorced people have so much less wealth than those who are married. If you really want to increase your wealth, get married and stay married.
Divorce looks like one of the fastest ways to destroy your wealth.
Divorce causes a decrease in wealth that is larger than just splitting a couple's assets in half.
Some people may also be working less and not trying as hard to build wealth as they have marriage troubles. Divorce is often a long and messy process.
While men come out slightly ahead, divorce destroys wealth dramatically for both sexes.
If you really want to increase your wealth, get married and stay married. On the other hand, divorce can devastate your wealth.