Alimony in Arizona?

[leopard]

What is the name of your state? Arizona

Hi,

I've been married 26 years. Our kids are all adults. If I divorce my wife, will I have to pay alimony? My wife was a SAHM until about 5 years ago. My wife is an RN and is now earning 36K working at a school. She could earn 60 to 70K working in a hospital and thus could easily obtain a higher paying job. I make 126K currently.

I may be layed off soon and unemployed. If I divorce after I'm layed off, will that affect the alimony?

We have 401K & other net assets of about 800K. I assume those would be split 50/50.

Thanks

 

[Ohiogal]

Did your wife ever earn 60k? Or is the school job the only one she has had as an RN? If you are laid off you may be imputed to the income that you have shown you can make. Whether or not you will be forced to pay alimony depends on a variety of things. Not just your income and her income.

 

[Bali Hai]

What is the name of your state? Arizona

Hi,

I've been married 26 years. Our kids are all adults. If I divorce my wife, will I have to pay alimony? My wife was a SAHM until about 5 years ago. My wife is an RN and is now earning 36K working at a school. She could earn 60 to 70K working in a hospital and thus could easily obtain a higher paying job. I make 126K currently.

I may be layed off soon and unemployed. If I divorce after I'm layed off, will that affect the alimony?

We have 401K & other net assets of about 800K. I assume those would be split 50/50.

Thanks

Assume everthing is split 50/50.

You want to walk away from a 26 year marriage and your wife has sacrificed at least 21 years to raise your kids and now has a job earning 4 times less than you.

What do you think the judge will decide???

 

[leopard]

What are the other factors that would affect alimony? Are there are some legal guidelines that the judge is expected to follow? I would hope it is not just an arbitrary decision made on the judges whim.

No, my wife has never made 60K. That kind of salary is readily available to her as a Hospital RN but she has always wanted to stay in the lower stress (also lower paying) RN jobs. My income has always been adequate so that choice was ok. But my income is likely to decline significantly in the next few years (some guys in India has my job now...).

I'm not actually divorcing my wife, nor would I say that I want one. We went through a rocky, near divorce, time a few years ago but worked things out and are ok for now. I am apprehensive about our future though. We are coming up to a fork in the road in a couple of years and she may want to go a different way than me. I'm trying to anticipate what it would cost me should that happen.

 

[Ohiogal]

What are the other factors that would affect alimony? Are there are some legal guidelines that the judge is expected to follow? I would hope it is not just an arbitrary decision made on the judges whim.

No, my wife has never made 60K. That kind of salary is readily available to her as a Hospital RN but she has always wanted to stay in the lower stress (also lower paying) RN jobs. My income has always been adequate so that choice was ok. But my income is likely to decline significantly in the next few years (some guys in India has my job now...).

I'm not actually divorcing my wife, nor would I say that I want one. We went through a rocky, near divorce, time a few years ago but worked things out and are ok for now. I am apprehensive about our future though. We are coming up to a fork in the road in a couple of years and she may want to go a different way than me. I'm trying to anticipate what it would cost me should that happen.

It will depend on what is going on then and now would have little bearing.