The Office for National Statistics (ONS) reports that the median length of a marriage ending in divorce has increased from 8.9 years in 1985 to 11.7 years today, while the average age of men and women divorcing has risen by 8 per cent since the 1980s. Today it stands at an all-time high of 45.6 for men and 43.1 for women. And this means couples are likely to have larger pension pots and potentially trickier settlements.
Wendy Spires, head of research at Findawealthmanager.com, says: "The general rule of thumb is the longer the marriage, the more joint assets a couple will have amassed and the greater the assets, the more complex a financial settlement is likely to be."
All pensions apart from the basic state pension can be divided, and the main options you have are the same if you are still building up your pots, and similar with a few minor differences if you have started taking income. These are: