• Comparing the financial picture of both husband and wife,
before and after the dissolution of the marriage.
• Each spouse’s work history and their income potential, which
is based on age, skills and training, and the likelihood that
they will be hired in the future.
• The amount of time that the supported spouse (whether it
be the wife or the husband) has spent out of work, foregoing
their career in order to stay home and take care of the kids
and the household.
• The extent to which the supported spouse helped the other
spouse with a business, or their education or career.
• The supported spouse must have made a good-faith effort
to find work that suits their age, skills, and health. Spouses
must make an attempt to become at least partly self-sufficient.
• Taxation consequences for both spouses.
• The supporting spouse’s ability to pay- which is based on
their financial outlook, inclusive of all assets, property,
and income.
• Any other support obligations on the part of either spouse.
• The length of the marriage. In long-term marriages (usually
anything over ten years) the courts try to equalize both spouses’
incomes after taxes.
A temporary spousal support order is based on the earnings
of both people, and any pressing needs they may have. This
can sometimes seem as if it gives an unfair advantage to the
at-home spouse, but now most judges require that the supported
spouse demonstrate an effort to find suitable employment if
they are able to do so. They’ll also order professional skills
testing if a person hasn’t worked for a long time. The aim
is for the supported spouse to be financially self-sufficient
within a certain amount of time. No matter what amount of
support is ordered, it goes away in the event of a remarriage,
and can be easily modified.
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