Here’s how it works: you apply for the insurance either before or after the marriage takes place. There are no restrictions as to who qualifies for the insurance aside from being at least 18 yrs old. In fact, parents can buy the policies for their children, so technically the policy owner doesn’t have to be the one who gets married, only the beneficiary. The policy will charge a premium commensurate with the benefit amount. A basic policy might have a premium of perhaps $16 a month. The full deluxe package might have a monthly price tag in the thousands. There is always an initial waiting period – usually three or four years — before the insurance kicks in, to guard against “pre-existing conditions”. Insurers are free to impose qualifications and riders to policies to avoid scammers or couples already contemplating divorce.

The premiums are very reasonable given that the costs of a knock-down drag-out divorce are beyond belief. Policies are structured to provide a lump sum payout that can be used anyway the policy holder chooses. There are no deductibles or co-pays. Claims are paid only after a divorce is finalized, so the policy holder does have to pay all legal fees and other expenses in advance of the divorce. However, if the couple selects the Legal Separation Rider they can get paid 50% of the divorce claim value once they file a legal separation with the court — the only instance of any payment in advance of a court-filed divorce decree. With the growth in divorce rates and lawyers’ fees showing no slowdown, divorce insurance provides a real solution to an age-old problem.