a)
lacks
sufficient
property,
including
marital
property
apportioned
to
the
spouse,
to
provide
for
reasonable
needs
of
the
spouse
considering
the
standard
of
living
established
during
the
marriage,
especially,
but
not
limited
to,
a
period
of
training
or
education,
or
b)
is
unable
to
provide
adequate
self-support,
after
considering
the
standard
of
living
established
during
the
marriage
and
all
relevant
circumstances,
through
appropriate
employment,
or
is
the
custodian
of
a
child
whose
condition
or
circumstances
make
it
appropriate
that
the
custodian
not
be
required
to
seek
employment
outside
the
home.
If
the
court
makes
either
of
these
findings
and
determines
that
a
party
is
in
fact
entitled
to
an
award
of
spousal
maintenance,
it
must
then
determine
the
duration
and
amount
of
the
award.
The
award
can
be
for
a
set
amount
of
months
or
years
(temporary
or
rehabilitative
maintenance),
or
the
award
can
be
permanent.
The
court
considers
the
following
statutory
factors
in
ruling
on
the
duration
and
amount
of
spousal
maintenance
awards:
a)
the
financial
resources
of
the
party
seeking
maintenance,
including
marital
property
apportioned
to
the
party,
and
the
party’s
ability
to
meet
needs
independently,
including
the
extent
to
which
a
provision
for
support
of
a
child
living
with
the
party
includes
a
sum
for
that
party
as
custodian;
b)
the
time
necessary
to
acquire
sufficient
education
or
training
to
enable
the
party
seeking
maintenance
to
find
appropriate
employment,
and
the
probability,
given
the
party’s
age
and
skills,
of
completing
education
or
training
and
becoming
fully
or
partially
self-supporting;
c)
the
standard
of
living
established
during
the
marriage;
d)
the
duration
of
the
marriage
and,
in
the
case
of
a
homemaker,
the
length
of
absence
from
employment
and
the
extent
to
which
any
education,
skills,
or
experience
have
become
outmoded
and
earning
capacity
has
become
permanently
diminished;
e)
the
loss
of
earnings,
seniority,
retirement
benefits,
and
other
employment
opportunities
forgone
by
the
spouse
seeking
spousal
maintenance;
f)
the
age,
and
physical
and
emotional
condition
of
the
spouse
seeking
maintenance;
g)
the
ability
of
the
spouse
from
whom
maintenance
is
sought
to
meet
needs
while
meeting
those
of
the
spouse
seeking
maintenance;
and
h)
the
contribution
of
each
party
in
the
acquisition,
preservation,
depreciation,
or
appreciation
in
the
amount
or
value
of
the
marital
property,
as
well
as
the
contribution
of
a
spouse
as
a
homemaker
or
in
the
furtherance
of
the
other
party’s
employment
or
business.
Courts
will award
temporary
spousal
maintenance
when they
believe
that the
spouse
receiving
the award
needs
the support
while
they “get
back on
their
feet” and
get to
a point
where
they can
be self-supporting.
Permanent
awards
of spousal
maintenance
are typically
made when
one spouse
was the
sole source
of income
over a
significant
period
of time.
Like
child
support,
an award
of spousal
maintenance
can
be
modified
upon
a showing
by the
moving
party
that
there
has
been
a substantial
change
of circumstances.
This
most
often
involves
a change
in the
income
of the
obligor.
In some
instances,
a party’s
ability
to
modify
an
award
can
be
limited
if
the
parties
executed
a Karon
waiver
at
the
time
of
their
divorce.
When
this
happens,
the
parties
can
agree
that
neither
party
can
ever
seek
an
award
of
spousal
maintenance
from
the
other
party,
or
they
can
agree
that
the
award
of
spousal
maintenance
cannot
be
modified.
