Category Archives: Alimony
Florida’s 2023 Alimony Reform Law: What Has Changed and What It Means for You
If you’ve heard rumors that permanent alimony disappeared from Florida law, that rumor happens to be true. Florida’s alimony system underwent its biggest transformation in decades when Senate Bill 1416 took effect on July 1, 2023, eliminating permanent alimony entirely and reshaping how courts calculate and modify spousal support. Whether you’re the spouse who… Read More »
Durational vs. Rehabilitative Alimony: Which Type Applies to Your Case?
Confused about why your neighbor got alimony for a fixed number of years while your coworker’s ex had to complete a training program first? Florida recognizes several distinct categories of alimony, and durational and rehabilitative alimony, while both common, serve genuinely different purposes. Understanding which one might apply to your situation can help set… Read More »
Can Alimony Be Discharged in Bankruptcy? What Boca Raton Residents Need to Know
Filing for bankruptcy feels like hitting a reset button, wiping the slate clean and starting fresh. If you are behind on alimony payments and considering that route, here is the plot twist nobody wants to hear: federal law specifically built a wall around spousal support, and bankruptcy is not getting through it. Why Alimony… Read More »
How Cohabitation with a New Partner Can End Your Alimony Payments in Florida
Are you receiving alimony after a Florida divorce and thinking about moving in with a new partner? Or are you the one paying alimony and wondering whether your former spouse’s living situation could affect what you owe? Either way, Florida law has something important to say about cohabitation, and it’s worth understanding before you… Read More »
How a Career Change or Job Loss Can Justify an Alimony Modification in Florida
Life rarely stays the same after a divorce. Jobs change, industries shift, and financial situations that once seemed stable can look very different a few years down the road. If you’re paying or receiving alimony in Florida and your income has changed dramatically, you may be wondering: can a career change or job loss… Read More »
Can You Bring Back the Alimony Gravy Train After It Has Departed?
All alimony awards are modifiable unless the alimony order is not modifiable; this only happens if, during mediation, the parties agree to waive the right to modify the alimony order. In practice, most alimony modifications go in only one direction, the direction that favors the paying spouse. When the courts agree to modify an… Read More »
How Long Must You Financially Support Your Disabled Ex-Spouse After a Brief Marriage?
Couples take wedding vows to stay together in sickness and in health, but often, chronic ill health erodes relationships, and sometimes it leads to divorce. When this happens, this divorce court must uphold the principle of equitable distribution while accounting for the fact that one of the spouses cannot reenter the workforce, even though… Read More »
Does an Alimony Award Have to Put You on Equal Footing With Your Ex-Spouse to Be Fair?
Equitable distribution, where the goal is to distribute the couple’s marital property and debts fairly, but not necessarily equally, varies depending on the length of the marriage. If the marriage was brief, the goal is to disentangle the parties’ finances as if they had never been married. If they were married for 17 years… Read More »
Modifying Your Alimony Obligations After You Retire
Florida no longer has permanent alimony, but a substantial portion of the people who pay and receive alimony are above the age of 60. The new trend is toward gray divorce, where people over 50 divorce after 20 years or more of marriage. If the parties had unequal incomes, this can mean that one… Read More »
Alimony for People Who Can’t Catch a Break in Life
When you search for information related to family law or estate planning, you can easily get the feeling that Google thinks that Internet users have more money than they do. The estate planning stuff talks about revocable trusts and the annual gift tax exclusion, when your only option is to work until your old… Read More »