In any divorce, a common question divorce attorneys get is “Will I get alimony, and if so, how much?” In Massachusetts this is determined under the Alimony Reform Act of 2011, which is codified at Massachusetts General Laws c. 208 §§48-54. Under the Alimony Reform Act, there are 4 different categories/types of alimony: 1) General…
Alimony
Am I Going to Have to Pay Alimony?
With the enactment and implementation of the Alimony Reform Act in 2012, a popular topic among divorcing spouses is whether one spouse will be required to pay the other spouse alimony. With the Alimony Reform Act, the guidelines and requirements for awarding alimony have changed. At the cornerstone of alimony is case law that has…
Winning the Lottery and Then Getting Divorced
The odds of any person winning the lottery are very slim. However, if someone does win the lottery, and he/she is married at that time, under Massachusetts law, the lottery winnings are a marital asset. Under Massachusetts law, all property owned by one spouse individually, or both spouses jointly, is considered marital property. That means,…
You thought it was until death do you part, but now you’re headed to divorce court.
The divorce rate for those ages 50 and older has doubled over recent years. Dubbed “gray divorce” by some, calling it quits during your senior years may no longer be a decision that raises eyebrows. The divorce rate for those ages 50 and older doubled between 1990 and 2010, according to a study by Bowling…
Dependency Tax Exemptions and Divorce
During the course of a divorce, there are many issues that spouses have to resolve: property division, alimony, child custody, child support, medical insurance, and taxes. One after thought of these many issues is the child dependency tax exemption. In a divorce, spouses can agree how to allocate the dependency tax exemption. For example, if…
I Turned Down Alimony – 3 Women’s Stories
In reporting this story I came across a number of people who chose not to take spousal they were entitled to. Here are their stories: “Asking for alimony would be like asking for a pension for a job I no longer did. It just didn’t seem fair.” Suzan French married at 18, soon after had…
Why Do So Few Men Get Alimony?
Of the 400,000 people in the United States receiving post-divorce spousal maintenance, just 3 percent were men, according to Census figures. Yet 40 percent of households are headed by female breadwinners — suggesting that hundreds of thousands of men are eligible for alimony, yet don’t receive it. The reason? Die-hard gender roles, a bitter fight…
5 Reasons Why Alimony Should Be Reduced or Terminated if You’re Living With Someone
1. If you are living with someone else, your financial need has likely been reduced or eliminated, thereby reducing or eliminating your need for spousal support. 2. If you are living with someone else, accepting (or taking) spousal support is, in essence, double-dipping. 3. If you are living with someone else, while receiving spousal support,…
How Women Can Keep From Making Themselves Victims in Divorce
Sep 4, 2014, 9:22 AM ET By LAURA MATTIA, Baron Financial Group Financially Empowering Women Too many women undergoing divorce don’t think enough about their long-term financial stability. All too often, women getting divorced become financial victims. Many get settlements that are fair or, in some cases, more than fair. But because they have misguided…
Alimony Deduction Requires Good Substantiation
Until recently, I had a hard time understanding why there are so many alimony tax cases. I mean, after all, it is wash, right? One party has a deduction against AGI. He or she, probably still usually he, puts the recipients social number down and the recipient picks up the same amount as income. Then…
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