Is Cohabitation After Divorce The New Trend? 

I take the article to mean living with one's new SO after the breakup, not one's former partner after the divorce is final

That said...

I'm not planning to intertwine my finances with anyone else's ever again; cohabitation could work for me with a few financial ground rules in place. But I don't see how it answers issues of lonliness in the way marriage would, since the relationships are inherently different. In some ways, I could see how it would be more lonely to cohabitate.

Each scenario has things to offer and compromises to accept and it's simply what each of us want for ourselves, there's no bigger question to it than that.

I wouldn't do it.  I simply feel it's too dangerous to have no strings, suppressed hatred in one of the parties, and a legal system and society that WILL blame the victim if it's a male.  While the legal system has given bad guys lifetime sexual offender listing, and 10-20 year sentences that are reduced with good behavior, etc.(in other words still maybe not equal punishment) nothing compares there to the almost complete absence of legal deterrent to violence on males.  If "tongue-in-cheek" humor desensitizes or keep afloat bad ideas, regardless, I think it puts the man in all the risk, legally and physically.  Don't stay with someone your not married to, before or after marriage. 
Sorry if I sound far-leaning on this topic, I firmly believe this, at this time in society.  Simply, men don't act invincible and take care of yourselves.
I also lean strongly in support of women on numerous issues, so long as I'm not insulted by them when I'm hurt (a funny phenomenon, this really happens, like wolves attacking an injured animal) and there are no discussions of the joys of injuries to a male genitals.  Kind of hard to hear a woman needs respect and people to (for example) attend her home welcoming party when she speak vile things I was not thinking of, while standing next to me.  The mixed signals of "sweetness" can be downright demoralizing.  Ok that's it, I'm sure you get the idea! :).  I'm hoping this area stops becoming my recent agenda, but the alternative is to suppress confronting disrespect to male victims, because the "acceptable" meanness in society (as long as it's to men) does not seem to stop!  All right, take care, peace to all!