As many Minnesota residents preparing to go through the dissolution of a marriage know, the divorce process can be expensive. In fact, a divorce costs an average of $10,000 to $15,000. Because a divorce usually involves large amounts of money, there are many divorce misconceptions that get thrown around.
One of the biggest myths is that a spouse is entitled to a larger share of property if the other spouse was engaged in extramarital affairs. This is false, as all states have no-fault divorce laws. This means that, while a person can get divorced for any reason, it also means that a person will not be punished for any negative behavior. One exception to this rule is if the cheating spouse diverted marital funds to pursue the affair. For example, a judge may take the affair into consideration if the spouse used marital funds to rent an apartment or to take the other person on lavish vacations.
Another common myth is that a spouse will receive alimony payments for life if he or she did not work during the marriage. While it is true that a non-working spouse probably will receive alimony payments, these payments usually only last for a short period of time while the former spouse finds employment or goes back to school.
Because marital funds and other assets will be divided during the divorce process, it is possible that a person could face certain financial challenges and emotional stress during and after the divorce is finalized. If the person did not work during the marriage due to the fact that he or she stayed home to raise the children, a family law attorney may help seek temporary alimony payments that will allow the client to recover financially.