Category Archives: Alimony
Is Permanent Alimony Really Permanent?
As is the case with so many clickable terms, the less you know about permanent alimony, the stronger your feelings about it tend to be. Permanent alimony is the exception, rather than the rule; in fact, the default option is to settle the couple’s financial entanglements through equitable distribution of marital assets without awarding… Read More »
Why Would the Court Order You to Pay $1 Per Month in Permanent Alimony?
Most alimony arrangements can be terminated early if the recipient spouse remarries, even if the alimony was originally meant to be permanent. Of course, it is possible for a couple to act as a single financial unit without being legally married. In fact, over the years, the courts heard the grievances of many divorced… Read More »
Agreements to Waive Alimony Only Become Effective When the Divorce Becomes Final
The percentage of divorce cases in which the court orders one spouse to pay alimony is decreasing, and when the court does order alimony, it is usually only for a few years. Prenuptial agreements are becoming increasingly popular among young couples, but that is not the main reason for the trend away from alimony;… Read More »
Equitable Distribution and Late-in-Life Marriages of Short Duration
Divorce courts in Florida divide property according to what is fair for both parties; the legal term for this is equitable distribution. Decisions about alimony follow the same logic, but not all divorce settlements include alimony, whereas all of them involve equitable distribution. This means that some people who were financially dependent on their… Read More »
The Court Cannot Hold You in Contempt for Failing to Pay Alimony That Was Improperly Calculated
Contempt of court is when the court declares that you have disobeyed a court order. Depending on the nature of the court order and the period of time that you have been failing to comply with it, the court might hold you in civil contempt or criminal contempt of court; if it is criminal… Read More »
What Happens to Your Alimony Obligations When One Former Spouse Assumes Responsibility for the Adult Children’s College Tuition?
Florida laws regarding alimony aim to enable both spouses to maintain their pre-divorce standard of living. Therefore, if one spouse was a stay-at-home parent throughout the marriage, the other spouse might have to make hefty alimony payments. If the marriage lasted longer than 17 years, the alimony obligations could even be permanent, ending only… Read More »
How Young Is Too Young to Receive Permanent Alimony?
One of the most painful things about divorce is having to build a new life without so many of the things on which you used to rely. For example, if your social circle during your marriage consisted mostly of your spouse’s college buddies and their spouses, you will probably have to seek out new… Read More »
How Does the Court Calculate Alimony If Your Income Varies from One Year to the Next?
The gig economy is becoming the new normal for an increasing number of Americans. You might seethe with anger when your tax accountant tells you that you should estimate your income from your 1099 jobs and send the IRS a check each quarter, as if any gig economy worker can afford to do that. … Read More »
What Happens to Your Debts If You Divorce?
Many divorced people complain about how their divorce ruined them financially, but the truth is that many of them were not in the best financial shape while they were married, or even before they met their spouse. These days, almost everyone is in debt, not just people with prodigal, work-averse, or materialistic ex-spouses. The… Read More »
Is It Fair to Make Former Spouses Pay Permanent Alimony?
Of all the bills that show up in your mailbox or email inbox, which one ruins your mood the most? Is it the bill from the emergency room visit where you found out two things: first, it was just a bad cold, and second, your high deductible hurts more than you expected it would? … Read More »
