Remarriage and Spousal Support: Sorting Out the Details

spousalsupport

For a person who is married at a young age and divorces within a relatively short period of time, he or she has many youthful years to consider a second marriage. Of course, anyone who is going into marriage having been through a divorce, there is probably a lot of knowledge gained between the two events.

No matter the situation, entering into another marriage will no doubt be a different situation. Those who are in this scenario might want to consider hiring a marital agreement lawyer for a prenuptial agreement, simply as a practical measure. Defining separate and marital property ahead of the nuptials could save time and animosity down the road.

The Tables are Turning

As society’s expectations for relationships change, so should expectations about divorce. Interestingly enough, a study from U.S. Trust found that about 30 percent of women who remarry are wealthier than their new husbands. This is obviously very interesting with the knowledge that men were generally seen as primary income earners and women as homemakers in generation’s past.

Knowing that a large portion of women choosing to get remarried have more assets than their husbands, expectations for spousal maintenance may also be turned around in the event of divorce. Traditionally speaking, alimony may be considered to be something paid by men only. Now, with shifts in the income paradigm, more women might be paying alimony to their ex-husbands.

Of course, spousal maintenance is only one financial component of divorce, but it’s still important to consider. After all, this is one of the few aspects of a settlement that continues well beyond the day that the divorce is finalized.

Source: Wall Street Journal, “When Wealthy Women Remarry Men of Lesser Means,” Veronica Dagher, July 16, 2014