Alimony is not Forever

Pennsylvania divorce law has long recognized the purpose of alimony is to "rehabilitate" the spouse who, for a variety of reasons, is leaving the marriage with a diminished economic future in comparison to the other spouse.
In most every divorce, one spouse will retain a greater earning capacity and be better positioned to maintain the standard of living they enjoyed during the marriage. Often, one spouse is in better health, has more education or employment opportunites, will be able to work more hours because they are not responsible for being the primary caregiver of the couple's children, or due to age has many more earning years ahead of them.
Alimony is designed to allow the spouse with fewer economic options a chance to establish themselves in the economic marketplace.
Alimony is not forever. In Pennsylvania, the period of alimony payments is based on the length of the marriage: As a rule of thumb, the poorer spouse will receive a year of alimony for every three years of marriage. A competent divorce lawyer will ensure that in most alimony situations, payments end if the poorer spouse remarries or begins to cohabitate with a new partner.
In contrast to Pennsylvania, the law of alimony has finally entered the 20th Century in Massachustetts.
There the governor in September 2011 signed into law an alimony overhaul. Now, as in Pennsylvania, Massachusetts alimony payments are based on the length of the marriage. The old law allowed lifetime alimony in both short- and long-term marriages. Also at odds with Pennsylvania, the old Massachusetts law allowed alimony even after the spouse moved in with a new partner.