Alimony

[gdluther]

I've been married nearly 20 years and my wife wants a divorce. I anticipate we will separate for at least a year before filing for divorce, and my wife has been a stay at home mother for all 20 years. We get along fine so I think we can develop a mutually agreeable plan. Everything I've read about alimony payments talks about the courts making the decision. Can we decide on the amount and length of time for alimony payments or does a court have to decide this?

 

[dorenephilpot]

In Indiana, which might differ from your state, you can be divorced in one of two ways: 1. by final hearing, at which a court dictates the terms. 2. by a settlement agreement, in which you dictate your own terms and the court gives its blessing to your agreement.

My guess is that your state is similar in the way it handles such matters.