With the holidays behind us, and the New Year ahead, it’s time to start planning for 2018. Whether that is putting together vacation and travel itineraries, looking toward college for one of your children, or hoping for a job change, this is the time of year when you want to feel as if you have “your ducks in a row” and are ready to face what the coming months will bring. However, if you are recently divorced, the idea of a new year can actually be worrisome, especially if you’re still negotiating terms of your separation from your former spouse and aren’t sure where your finances will stand when everything is settled.
Many people assume that a divorce always means alimony, and that alimony will take care of any and all financial problems you might face. However, this is NOT the case. Unless you know what to expect and how to plan, you could be left in a monetary bind if you don’t understand how alimony works and what the court will be looking for when determining just how much (if any) you are eligible to receive each month. If you are the primary breadwinner of the household, you might be concerned about paying alimony while still being able to afford to take care of yourself and any dependents.
To ease your mind, it’s first important to understand how alimony is decided upon and what factors go into determining the amount to be paid out. These factors include:
- how long you were married to the spouse in question
- the age and health of each party
- contributions made by each of you to the marriage
- relative earning capacities of each spouse
- whether one spouse is the primary caregiver for any children from the marriage
Once a court has all of these pieces of information assembled, they can evaluate the specific situation and decide what type of alimony best fits your situation. There are many different types of alimony (you can learn about those here /family-law/alimony-spousal-support/) and your legal team, the legal team of your former spouse will work to find the best solution for all involved.
If you are currently facing divorce negotiations, Sessums Law Group is proud to offer our services to you during this difficult time. Don’t let a stressful, anxiety-ridden situation be made worse by having inadequate legal representation. Put yourself in the best position possible by having a legal team ready to stand FOR you. We put our clients first, and treat each case as a priority, so you can rest knowing that you’re in good hands. We are one of the top choices in the Tampa Bay area for all kinds of legal needs, so let us STAND FOR YOU.