I want to proceed with a divorce, – I haven’t discussed this yet with my husband and want to be as well-informed as possible before doing so.
I want to divorce for these reasons: 1) verbal abuse (angers/yells very frequently); 2) lack of any physical intimacy, including lack of hugging, cuddling, etc… These 2 reasons have been present for most or all of the marriage.
We’ve been married for 14 years, I am 56, my husband is 57, no children.
I worked full-time for the first ~5-6 years of our marriage; my salary was about 1/2 - 2/3 of his then. I quit full-time work and began working as a part-time freelancer in the IT (computer) field, and have been doing this for the past 8-9 years. There were two primary reasons for doing this: (1) he wanted to travel during his sabbaticals and have me accompany him (I can do my work from anywhere); and (2) we wanted to enable me to reduce the stresses on him, and to reduce the stresses on me - enabling me to better cope with him.
During the period that I’ve worked PT freelance, I have taken care of everything inside and outside the home.
After selling our home and splitting the proceeds, I will probably be able to pay cash for a small home. My income varies from year to year, I may have some difficulty covering my minimal living costs at times. With my age and this economy, I would have a hard time finding full-time employment in my field.
Do you think I would qualify for some alimony for the next 7 years? (half the length of marriage)
I would also like some assistance with my health insurance. Would I have good grounds to ask that he cover me under COBRA for 3 years after the divorce?
Thank you!