Age of Spouses and Alimony

The age of either spouse will answer the following questions:

Does the person who wants alimony have a long, money-earning career ahead of them? If so, the case for alimony is weakened.

Is that same person at the end of his or her career and needs alimony to live on? If so, the case for alimony is strengthened.

Does your age or your spouse's age indicate illness or infirmity ahead? This can affect a decision either way depending on what you are trying to show the court.

Another consideration - if someone is young and in good physical condition, a short term plan to educate or train a person to earn income is preferable to a permanent award of alimony.

Age is an important consideration. If someone is 55 years old, the chance of them developing a new career is almost non-existent. An educational plan funded by temporary alimony may be impractical. Permanent alimony makes more sense in this case. If the same person is 32 years old, a new career is not so far fetched. In that case, temporary alimony may provide that person with a path to higher income. Permanent alimony would not be needed.

If both spouse's are in their twenties, alimony would be unlikely. If both or either spouse is in their sixties, alimony becomes an important subject to discuss.