With the number of years you spent married to your spouse, you may have grown heavily reliant on their income in your day-to-day life. Needless to say, with your upcoming divorce, you may be completely stressed out over going from a double-income household to a financially independent individual, especially one who may still be responsible for supporting a minor child or children. While some changes are expected during this transitioning period, it is okay for you to want to keep certain traditions and habits alive. With that being said, please read on to discover whether you will be able to maintain your lifestyle post-divorce, given your alimony order, and how a seasoned Long Island alimony lawyer at the Law Offices of Jay D. Raxenberg P.C. can help you prepare for the financial adjustment you will potentially have to make.

Will I be able to maintain my lifestyle with an alimony order?

Primarily, alimony exists to provide temporary financial support to the dependent spouse in the immediate wake of divorce, until they can become financially independent once more. This is not solely about keeping a spouse financially afloat, as the New York State family court will also consider how to maintain the lifestyle they established during their married years. The court cannot guarantee identical lifestyle continuity, as what once supported one household must now support two. However, it will make its best efforts towards preventing a major financial disparity between the two spouses. Without further ado, the court may evaluate the following factors when determining the marital standard of living:

  • The type of housing you lived in during your marriage (i.e., you owned a home, rented, or lived in an affluent neighborhood).
  • The frequency of your family’s travel, and the luxuriousness of the vacations you typically had planned (i.e., hotels, air travel, etc).
  • The spending habits of your household (i.e., dining out, entertainment, leisure activities, club memberships, charity involvement, etc).
  • The general pace and cost of your everyday living (i.e., mortgage, utilities, transportation, insurance, healthcare, childcare, education, etc).

How long will my alimony order likely last in New York State?

Generally speaking, the length of your marriage may heavily determine how long the New York State family court will order your alimony to last. Subsequently, the more substantial the support, the more closely you may preserve your accustomed lifestyle. This is to say that a long-term marriage, especially one in which you sacrificed your career opportunities, may lead to longer-term, more significant alimony. Otherwise, if your married life was short-lived, it is assumed that you will bounce back to financial autonomy more quickly, and your alimony order may only be viewed as a rehabilitative means in the meantime.

Please do not hesitate to work together with a competent Long Island family lawyer. The team at the Law Offices of Jay D. Raxenberg P.C. will have your best interests at heart always and will fight for justice to reign in your favor.