Speaker 1: Learning to live life again without your spouse after a divorce can be challenging. You get married, you share your life with them and your finances in some cases, and it all comes to an end. Today we're going to talk about the topic of being financially independent after a divorce. Hi, my name is Brian Fagan, and if you're new to this channel, thank you for taking the time to check us out. We hope that we can be of assistance to you regarding your divorce case. Let's get straight into it. If one of the spouses is having trouble adjusting back to independent financial life, they may ask for something called alimony. There are several factors when a court considers awarding spouse support or alimony. Alimony is the payment given to a spouse during a divorce to help them get back on their feet financially. Spousal support is the process that consists of regular court order payments that help provide for a spouse after a divorce as a way to supplement that spouse's income or provide for him or her. There are unique considerations when it comes to spousal support. The length of your marriage and the two parties' income all influence the duration of spousal support and are considered by the court when deciding spousal support. The court can also order alimony, otherwise known as spousal maintenance, if the spouse who is seeking payment will not have enough property at the time of the divorce to provide for his or her basic needs. Normally, the court will consider alimony if one of the spouses has been convicted of committing family violence against the other spouse during the marriage. If the spouse seeking support is unable to earn income because of disability, the court can include that as a factor when awarding spousal support. Spouses can also qualify for support if they were married for at least 10 years or longer and the spouse seeking support is unable to support their basic reasonable needs. Also, if the spouse seeking support has custody of a child who has a physical disability, support can also be ordered in addition to child support. If you are ordered to pay spousal support and you don't do so after the divorce is finalized, a judge can hold you in contempt and contempt means that you have failed to follow a court order and the punishment for this can include a fine or jail as a result. However, if you are suffering through legitimate financial difficulties and can show the court that this is the case, then you can request to have the spousal maintenance reduced or eliminated completely. If you need to request spousal maintenance, the best resource you can have is an attorney who can deliver on the results you expect and need. The attorneys at the Law Office of Brian Fagan are known throughout Southeast Texas as effective client-centric advocates. Please contact us today to learn more about spousal maintenance and any other family law questions you may have. You can schedule a free consultation at brianfagan.com or give us a call at 281-810-9760. If you would like more information on alimony, please be sure to check out our e-book section on our website or click on the link in the description below to download our alimony e-book. Be sure to subscribe on our YouTube channel and click on the notification bell to never miss another video. Talk to you soon. ♪