Many of the very difficult issues during a divorce settlement are related to money. Decisions about spousal support, child support (if applicable) and division of assets and debts are complicated and have both logistical and emotional components. Spousal support is the amount of money that the court determines one spouse should pay to the other after a divorce. Each state has their own laws for establishing this amount. Unfortunately, Minnesota does not provide specific guidelines about how to calculate a spousal maintenance obligation. This makes spousal support cases particularly complex. AMS Mediation serves the communities of Shakopee, Bloomington, Richfield, Burnsville, Lakeville MN and can help you and your divorcing spouse resolve all aspects of a divorce, including the determination of spousal support.
Using Divorce Mediation To Settle Spousal Maintenance Issues
Divorce mediation is an excellent way to resolve issues of spousal support. A trained mediator can help a divorcing couple take into account many relevant factors to determine whether and how much spousal support should be provided from one party to another. Issues that are often considered include:
● How long did the marriage last;
● Education;
● Work experience of each party;
● The financial means of each party and whether one/both parties can be financially self-sufficient;
● Would spousal support make it possible for both parties to have a lifestyle that is similar to that of the lifestyle before the divorce.
Mediation encourages the divorcing couple to take a realistic and reasonable look at the overall financial picture, with real monthly budgets and figures, so that both parties can understand the needs of the other. A court battle tends to be much more adversarial than the mediation process, leading to increased conflict, and a result that is sometimes based on exaggerated information and a winner-take-all mentality.
Partner With AMS Mediation To Settle Your Divorce, Minnesota
The team at AMS Mediation has extensive experience helping divorcing couples settle difficult issues like the determination of spousal support fairly and with less conflict and stress. Our mediators help facilitate open communication and discussion that makes compromise possible. Mediation very often takes much less time and is significantly less expensive overall than settling a divorce using the traditional court system. For more information about using mediation as a tool for your divorce, call AMS at 952.252.1492. Amber Serwat provides free initial consultations so that you can ask questions unique to your situation and really think about how mediation will work in your case.
