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Alimony after Retirement?

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ralphfitz

Junior Member
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Tennessee
I will be 65 this month. I have been paying $1100 per month in court ordered in futuro alimony for 14 years. I have been laid off my permanent job for 18 months and have paid my alimony out of "unemployment benefits". I have recently gotten a job as a school bus monitor ($10/hour) which I plan to keep until I reach the age (66) which I can receive full social security benefits.
My question is will the courts reduce or eliminate my alimony payments after both I and my ex-spouse reach 65.
 


LdiJ

Senior Member
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Tennessee
I will be 65 this month. I have been paying $1100 per month in court ordered in futuro alimony for 14 years. I have been laid off my permanent job for 18 months and have paid my alimony out of "unemployment benefits". I have recently gotten a job as a school bus monitor ($10/hour) which I plan to keep until I reach the age (66) which I can receive full social security benefits.
My question is will the courts reduce or eliminate my alimony payments after both I and my ex-spouse reach 65.
Since a school bus monitor is not a 40 hour a week job, how do you propose to support yourself until you are 66? How will your ex support herself/himself without your alimony payments? All of that will factor into the mix.
 

majomom1

Senior Member
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Tennessee
I will be 65 this month. I have been paying $1100 per month in court ordered in futuro alimony for 14 years. I have been laid off my permanent job for 18 months and have paid my alimony out of "unemployment benefits". I have recently gotten a job as a school bus monitor ($10/hour) which I plan to keep until I reach the age (66) which I can receive full social security benefits.
My question is will the courts reduce or eliminate my alimony payments after both I and my ex-spouse reach 65.
What is in the court order? Is there an end date? Is it modifiable?
 

nextwife

Senior Member
Since a school bus monitor is not a 40 hour a week job, how do you propose to support yourself until you are 66? How will your ex support herself/himself without your alimony payments? All of that will factor into the mix.
One would hope that a person getting 14 YEARS of alimony has used it to get themselves to self sufficiency. After all, the payor can't be relied upon to always have continued good health or continued employment at the same pay level. Additionally, those who planned correctly should be nearly debt free by retirement age, and have greatly reduced housing costs, making survival on a lesser income more do-able. Many of those past 50 who
have been laid off will, realistically, never again be hired at the same pay level. That has been widely stated in economic discussions (such as shows on CNBC)

Many of us in our 50s or so have had to accept a lower household income due to the economy. And should be prepared for the fact that an ex in their 60s could potentially face stroke, heart attack or other maladies causing income to drop. Thus his ex would have had to have been a total and complete ostrich to still be so dependent on SS after so very many years. Let's say she is two years younger than poster, she would have been only 49 at divorce, three years YOUNGER than I was when I changed to a new career, and the same age my SAH aunt was when she returned to school for a law degree. We women are not brain dead after 45, we can learn new things..
 
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One would hope that a person getting 14 YEARS of alimony has used it to get themselves to self sufficiency. After all, the payor can't be relied upon to always have continued good health or continued employment at the same pay level. Additionally, those who planned correctly should be nearly debt free by retirement age, and have greatly reduced housing costs, making survival on a lesser income more do-able. Many of those past 50 who
have been laid off will, realistically, never again be hired at the same pay level. That has been widely stated in economic discussions (such as shows on CNBC)

Many of us in our 50s or so have had to accept a lower household income due to the economy. And should be prepared for the fact that an ex in their 60s could potentially face stroke, heart attack or other maladies causing income to drop. Thus his ex would have had to have been a total and complete ostrich to still be so dependent on SS after so very many years. Let's say she is two years younger than poster, she would have been only 49 at divorce, three years YOUNGER than I was when I changed to a new career, and the same age my SAH aunt was when she returned to school for a law degree. We women are not brain dead after 45, we can learn new things..
Yes but 99% of women just sit back and do nothing & then when their ex dies they cry foul.
 

nextwife

Senior Member
Yes but 99% of women just sit back and do nothing & then when their ex dies they cry foul.
But, but, but, "I have COURT order for him to pay me! The court did NOT give him permission to die or have a stroke or be downsized! It's NON modifiable, I should get this until I die. He's not allowed to die first".
 

mistoffolees

Senior Member
But, but, but, "I have COURT order for him to pay me! The court did NOT give him permission to die or have a stroke or be downsized! It's NON modifiable, I should get this until I die. He's not allowed to die first".
Whether that's the case or not, the recipient isn't the one asking the question.

For OP to get an answer, he/she needs to answer the questions majomom1 asked above.
 

nextwife

Senior Member
That's not true. Still.
Agreed. It's NOT true. Most of the women I know are fairly equal financial partners with their spouses, or are fully financially independent.

However, in my work I come across a really surprising number of women who still defer to the male in all financial matters and are surprisingly clueless when the male is no longer around or becomes ill and they need to step up to the plate. Frankly, it should be a given, not a surprise that every able bodied adult will need to eventually go it alone financially.
 
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nextwife

Senior Member
Whether that's the case or not, the recipient isn't the one asking the question.

For OP to get an answer, he/she needs to answer the questions majomom1 asked above.
Personally, I have never understood how alimony can be non modifiable if health, career and economy ARE indeed "modifiable".
 

mistoffolees

Senior Member
Agreed. It's NOT true. Most of the women I know are fairly equal financial partners with their spouses, or are fully financially independent..
Consider yourself lucky to have independent friends.

In my experience, there is still a strong bias toward the 'traditional' family where the husband is the primary breadwinner. Granted, it's not at all uncommon for the woman to earn more than the man - and to be fairly self-sufficient even if she earns less, but that still seems to be the minority.
 

LdiJ

Senior Member
Consider yourself lucky to have independent friends.

In my experience, there is still a strong bias toward the 'traditional' family where the husband is the primary breadwinner. Granted, it's not at all uncommon for the woman to earn more than the man - and to be fairly self-sufficient even if she earns less, but that still seems to be the minority.
I am not sure that its the minority anymore.

However, in this particular instance the two of them are both pretty much at retirement age, therefore my questions were valid.

UC benefits are not high. He stated that he used his UC benefits to pay his alimony since he was laid off. Clearly he therefore had some other means of support. He has now taken a job as a school bus monitor, which is about 20-25 hours a week at best, therefore again, he obviously has other means of support.

IF his alimony is modifiable then many factors are going to come into play. Its not simply that alimony will go away at 65, or even his full retirement age of 66.
 

nextwife

Senior Member
I am not sure that its the minority anymore.

However, in this particular instance the two of them are both pretty much at retirement age, therefore my questions were valid.

UC benefits are not high. He stated that he used his UC benefits to pay his alimony since he was laid off. Clearly he therefore had some other means of support. He has now taken a job as a school bus monitor, which is about 20-25 hours a week at best, therefore again, he obviously has other means of support.

IF his alimony is modifiable then many factors are going to come into play. Its not simply that alimony will go away at 65, or even his full retirement age of 66.

As to having other means of support, the marriage was only 14 years out of the ex's life. Ex's failure to have any other means of support would be due to many choices ex made OUTSIDE this marriage. Before and after. Spending, investing and career choices.
If, for example, she spent and didn't save at all, and failed to gain any independent means of support in all those non married years, why is he at fault?

One would hope that after-retirement alimony changes would always be addressed when creating an agreement. After all, virtually everyone has less income in retirement. One needs to plan accordingly and reduce debt and spending as retirement draws near. It's kinda ridiculous that being a divorced ex getting alimony should isolate a person from needing to do what the rest of us need to do.
 
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LdiJ

Senior Member
As to having other means of support, the marriage was only 14 years out of the ex's life. Ex's failure to have any other means of support would be due to many choices ex made OUTSIDE this marriage. Before and after. Spending, investing and career choices.
If, for example, she spent and didn't save at all, and failed to gain any independent means of support in all those non married years, why is he at fault?
Nexie...the divorce was 14 years ago. We have absolutely no idea how long the marriage was, because he didn't say. However, if he has been paying alimony for 14 years, its a pretty good guess that the marriage was more than 14 years long.

Also, what anyone believes could or should have happened is irrelevant. What is relevant is what the current court orders state and what a judge will order if it goes back to court.

One would hope that after-retirement alimony changes would always be addressed when creating an agreement. After all, virtually everyone has less income in retirement. One needs to plan accordingly and reduce debt and spending as retirement draws near. It's kinda ridiculous that being a divorced ex getting alimony should isolate a person from needing to do what the rest of us need to do.
We all know how strongly you feel about this subject. However again, its irrelevant. Again, what is relevant is what the current court orders state and what a judge might order if it goes back to court.
 

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