Is it ridiculous to consider asking for spousal support if both parties work and make good money? Example - married 23 years one child who will be HS senior this next year.Petitioner's salary $125k. Respondent's salary $100k (previous to current year avg was around 80K for last 5 or so years). Respondent worked same job for 30 years turning down job offers because petitioner's job required travel so she couldn't accept a job traveling also. By staying in the same job, taking care of their child, home, bills, taxes, investments, etc., Petitioner had the ability to change jobs every 6 or 7 years until he bypassed the respondent's salary. Jobs he chose didn't necessarily have great retirement plans. Just before the holidays he deserts his wife and child for his girlfriend of 2 years. She is half his age, 25, Russian, and in the states on a work visa for a very large company. She also lives in another state, but they had worked together and the petitioner had many opportunities to visit the home office in the other state. During those two years, the Petitioner obviously spent both community property funds and company funds to visit, get hotels, flights, food, drink, etc for himself and girlfriend. Now they are trying to have a civil divorce because of their child, by doing the paperwork themselves, going to mediation, etc. Two areas they disagree on. 1. Petitioner wants to pay only the max transfer payment of $691. His girlfriend has expensive tastes and flying her up to WA to stay for a week at a time in his new apartment which he furnished with the best of everything and still splitting the bills with the Respondent on their home and child. 2) Family home - originally Respondent and child would be allowed to live in the home for 18 months and Petitioner would split the house pmt with the Respondent - $1000 each. Before the final filing Petitioner decides to have another lawyer look over the paperwork and discuss the 2 sticking points. Lawyer tells him paper work is all in order and can be filed at any time. When questioned about the child support which allowed for extra expenses - car insurance, college fund, allowance, etc - the child support payment was showing as $1293. Lawyer explained he could move those expenses to 3.15 of the form so they were not part of the transfer pmt. Also seemed to indicate that after order is filed, he would not have to pay them unless he wanted to. Lawyer also suggested Respondent be awared the house with a lein to the Petitioner for 1/2 the equity established now and equity paid to Petitioner sometime in the next 2 years. Or require Respondent sell house and move out when child graduates high school in 9 or 10 months. Respondent has problems with both options - house values are still falling so to value the home in todays market could mean paying more for it now than in six months. Also, she would stretch things to the limit to purchase the home with only her salary. where Petitioner could. So now she is looking at the options and not liking either since she also got the 14 year old car and him the 6 year old car - because he left most of the furnishings in the house, but always manages to find something else he would like when he stops by. Because he changed jobs so often, she is giving him investments and retirement worth $350k and of course there is still the house which will run probably $175k. At 50, Respondent planned on only working 5 more years, house paid off, child through college - ah, retirement! Now there is no more retiring in 5 yrs, more like 12 - 15 yrs. She isn't gettting those job offers at 50 that she was getting 10 -15 years ago. She may have to get a $330k loan for 30 yrs to buy her own house. Single salary probably not...so now she is looking at 10 more yrs of work, home in another neighborhood, dating at 50, not having the money to invest for retirement on one salary, etc. Petitioner is a few yrs younger so more earning power, retirement, etc. Am I being greedy/jealous?
