What To Know About Alimony
Divorce can be a nerve-wracking for anyone. The dissolution of a marriage can leave people feeling like their universe has been disrupted. One of the most confusing parts of divorce can be the court proceedings. In order to make sure that both marriage partners can manage financially after the divorce, a judge can award alimony. When going into a divorce hearing you should make sure you that you are up to speed with what alimony is and how it can affect you.
Who Can Receive Alimony?
Traditionally only a woman could receive alimony. This was a carryover from the days when men were the only ones allowed to earn an income. As times have changed and more and more women are in the workforce, it is not entirely uncommon for a woman to earn more money than their husband. In these cases, the man can file for alimony. While it is not a guarantee, a judge may in fact award a man alimony.
Alimony Means You're Set for Life, Right?
Just because a judge awards you money does not mean that you never have to work again. The idea of alimony is that a spouse who has stayed at home to help with child rearing may not be prepared to enter the workforce right away. A judge may award alimony so that this spouse is not destitute upon exiting the marriage. However, the fact that a judge awards a spouse alimony does not preclude that spouse from seeking employment elsewhere. Instead, alimony is supposed to help that person get by until they can find work and start a new life of their own.
How Long Does Alimony Last?
Alimony does not last until a person finds work. Instead, a judge will decide how long alimony should last. Some states will limit a judge as to how much time they can allow alimony to last.
Factors that Affect Alimony
Alimony is not automatic. A judge will go over your marriage history and use that as a guideline to determine how much money to award. Thus, before you go into a divorce hearing, you need to make sure that you get your facts straight so that you can make your case as compellingly as possible.
Alimony is just one of the components of a divorce hearing. While you can hardly be expected to learn all there is to know about divorce in the short time you have to her ready for your hearing, you can call a family law attorney to help you make sense of everything.