It is a story that many have heard before, a person feels badly about asking for the money that they are entitled to at the end of a marriage. This leaves that individual broke and scared. This is what one woman is warning readers in California and elsewhere about alimony after her two divorces left her with no money and frustrated.
The woman at the center of this story was married first to man who was building a professional career that paid well. The couple was married as the income grew, but before the pair could reach their financial dreams, the marriage ended. The woman didn’t want to pursue alimony because she didn’t feel that she deserved it. That decision left her without the money that she needed to support herself.
Her second marriage was to a man who never had money and never had a way to gain income. As was the case in her first marriage, this one ended after a few years. In this dissolution, the woman was the bread winner and found that under the laws of her state, she had a choice to pay alimony to her soon-to-be ex-husband or pay off the couple’s debts. She chose to pay the debts.
Alimony was at the center of her divorce in both of the cases, as happens often in California. In her first marriage, she likely would have been entitled to alimony, which could have made the transition into self-support an easier one. Waiving her right may not have been the best financial decision, though many make similar decisions when in the throes of a divorce. This can be why it is important for people in divorce to consult with experienced professionals who can help them make decisions relating to issues such as debt payment, alimony and other financial matters.
Source: aol.com, “Are you dating a financial disaster?”, AOL Staff, June 30, 2017
