My spouse was the breadwinner in the family. How will I survive financially?
Q: My spouse was the breadwinner in the family. How will I survive financially?
The answer to this question depends on a number of factors. The family court judge considers the following in making an alimony or separate support and maintenance determination:
1) the duration of the parties' marriage, including the ages of the parties at the time of their marriage and at the time of the divorce or the separate maintenance action;
2) the physical and emotional condition of each spouse;
3) each spouse's educational background and the need of each spouse for additional training or education in order to achieve that spouse's income potential;
4) each spouse's employment history and earning potential;
5) the parties' standard of living during the marriage;
6) each spouse's current and reasonably-anticipated earnings, expenses, and needs;
7) each spouse's marital and non-marital properties;
8) the custody of the parties' child or children, especially where conditions or circumstances suggest that it would be appropriate for the child's/children's custodian to not work or to work part-time;
9) marital misconduct if such misconduct affected the economic circumstances of the parties or contributed to the disruption of the marriage;
10) the tax consequences to each party as the particular kind of support; and
11) the existence and extent of any support obligation a party has from a prior marriage or for other children.
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