Tag Archive for: spousal support

3 Tips for Negotiating Alimony Payments

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Whether you are the spouse who will pay alimony, or you are the spouse who will receive payments, if spousal support is on the table in your divorce, you may be wondering how to make sure you get the fairest deal possible. Even with new New Jersey alimony reform laws in effect since last year, calculating alimony is still open to interpretation and, in many cases, negotiation. If you and your soon-to-be former spouse are attempting to come to your own terms in your divorce (rather than go to court), here are three tips for negotiating an alimony settlement that strikes a balance. Read more

Top 10 Highest Alimony Payments

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Since it’s the time of year for all things spooky and scary, what better time to take a look  at the top ten highest alimony payments in celebrity divorce history? Kidding aside, examining these high end spousal support awards can teach all of us — whether you pay or receive alimony — a thing or two about how to achieve a fair spousal support settlement. Here’s the top ten rundown and some of our tips for creating alimony arrangements both of you can accept. Read more

Will New Jersey Alimony Reform Be the Death of the Stay-At-Home Spouse?

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If you’ve kept up with the headlines in New Jersey this past week, you may be aware that a long-awaited alimony reform bill concerning permanent “lifetime” alimony has been passed by both the New Jersey State Assembly and Senate and sent to Governor Christie, who is expected to approve the measure sometime this summer. With alimony reform in New Jersey so close at hand, it’s almost certain that those going through the process of divorce right now (or contemplating divorce) have questions and concerns about how reform laws will affect their spousal support arrangements. This may be especially true for stay-at-home spouses and stay-at-home parents, the two groups most likely to request lifetime alimony. Read more

Assembly Committee Approves New Jersey Alimony Reform Bill

On Thursday, the New Jersey Assembly Judiciary Committee issued a unanimous recommendation to pass legislation fundamentally changing the way alimony is awarded in most New Jersey divorces.
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Blue Ribbon Commission Proposed To Study NJ Alimony Reform

Following the lead of other states that have updated alimony laws in recent years, the wheels of change appear to now be turning in New Jersey in the form of a new Blue Ribbon commission approved February 11, 2014 by the Assembly Judiciary Committee to study alimony reform. Read more

Thinking About Becoming A SAHM Or SAHD? Here’s Why You Need a POST-Nup

A recent CNBC piece about stay-at-home moms and their earning ability in the event of divorce brought up the very real issue of what many SAHMs (and SAHDs) run into when they suddenly need to find work in the career they left: It’s not always easy. Read more

Bergen County Ex-Husband Fighting Alimony Denied Release

Update 10/28/13: Ari Schochet won a stay of his incarceration from the New Jersey Supreme Court. The stay allowed Mr. Schochet to file an appeal. That appeal, now before Judge Jonathan Harris, poses the question: Do all parents who are behind bars for arrears on support payments have the right to an ability-to-pay hearing before being locked up?


In Bergen County, Ari Schochet, a former Wall Street portfolio manager, has been ordered by New Jersey Family Court Judge Ronny Jo Siegel to spend nights and weekends locked inside a county jail unless he hands over a lump sum of $25,000 toward more than $233,000 in unpaid alimony. Read more

Spousal Support Claims, No Prenup: Inside Demi And Ashton’s Divorce

In celebrity divorce news, there’s no bigger story right now than than the marital split of Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher. While the couple officially separated in late 2011, Kutcher waited for over a year to file official divorce papers. And now, in what can only be described as a bombshell development in the case, Moore has just filed court response documents in which she seeks spousal support. Multiple news sources are also reporting that the couple had no prenuptial agreement, leaving open the door for Moore to claim part of the estimated $100 million dollar fortune Kutcher accumulated over the course of their marriage. Read more

Collecting on Your Former Spouse’s Social Security

Nearing retirement age? If you were married for at least 10 years before getting a divorce, you may be entitled to a portion of your former spouse’s social security benefits. Read more

How Will New Tax Rules Affect Your Divorce?

To prevent the U.S. economy from toppling over a “fiscal cliff” that would likely result in surging tax rates and significantly curtailed government spending, Congress approved the American Taxpayer Relief Act on January 1, 2013, following intense debate. President Obama signed ATRA into law on January 2, 2013.

What does ATRA mean for your taxes — especially since you are going through divorce? Read more