I pay alimony to my spouse. At the time of divorce she had not worked in 18 years and had no reserve cash, retirement, or investments. She h...

Question

I pay alimony to my spouse. At the time of divorce she had not worked in 18 years and had no reserve cash, retirement, or investments. She has just become the recipient, through inheritance, of $600,000. Does this change in her financial standing offer me the opportunity to REDUCE my alimony payments?

Answer

Opportunity, yes. Certainty, no. There are numerous factors which determine what alimony is appropriate, so to properly advise you I'd have to see what factors led to the original alimony order, but generally speaking, a 15% change in the financial circumstances of either of you is sufficient reason to re-examine the alimony situation.