Understanding your relationship with money

It may sound strange to think about having an ‘emotional relationship’ with something as practical as money, but it can actually be a highly effective way of understanding your feelings and behaviours.

If you’ve divorced or dissolved your civil partnership, or if you’re in the process of doing so, you may find you have less to retire on than you expected. Find out how to increase your pension as you approach retirement and how separating after you’ve retired may affect you.

If you and your partner are separating, you may be able to sort everything out without taking legal or other professional advice. But if your ex-partner won’t stick to what you’ve agreed, or you want to know what your rights are, it might be worth taking professional advice.

The amount of legal or financial advice you take will depend on how complicated your divorce or dissolution is, how much money you have to pay for advice and whether you’ve agreed to part on good terms. Many couples use one or more professionals during their divorce or dissolution.

If you’re divorcing or separating from your partner and your income has dropped, there are some benefits you can claim as a single person. There are also benefits you can claim if you’re now a lone parent and your children live with you all or most of the time. This page tells you more about what you may be able to get.