Among the Ask a Divorce Lawyer questions answered today by Cordell & Cordell attorneys:

• Isn't a judge the only one with the power to mandate someone to freeze assets, not my ex's attorney?
• My ex wife did not ask for or get part of my retirement at the time of our divorce. Can she still try and get a part of it now?
• My girlfriend and I had a daughter in October. Who has the legal right to claim our daughter?
• What are the differences between primary placement, joint legal and joint physical custody?
• How do you end temporary custody?

Among the Ask a Divorce Lawyer questions answered today by Cordell & Cordell attorneys:

• Questions about a mutually-owned home during a divorce
• My ex wife got a restraining order against me so I can't even go to our church. What can I do?
• I was awarded my 401(k) and pension in our decree.My has threatened to take me back to court to get half of it. Can she do this?
• I've been paying maintenance for seven years and will retire soon. What factors will determine my chances of ending or reducing maintenance payments when I am on a much lower fixed income?

Question:

I am 63 and have been providing monthly spousal support for my ex-wife, who is 62, for the past 18 years. We were married for 22 years. Our children are all grown and she has a college degree. The agreement did not have an end date and my income has decreased significantly since the original agreement date but the spousal support amount has remained the same. I'm having a difficult time paying bills or saving any money for retirement.

Is it possible to amend or end the spousal support once my ex-wife is eligible for social security retirement benefits or other circumstance? She has not remarried.

By Jennifer M. Paine

Attorney, Cordell & Cordell, P.C., Detroit office

Note: This is Part 3 of a three-part overview of the Social Security Act’s  divorced spouse Social Security retirement benefits. Click here to read Part 1 and click here to read Part 2.

Here is an overview of the Social Security Act’s divorced spouse Social Security retirement benefits to consider as you contemplate divorce, negotiate your settlement, or select the date to make your decree effective.

In this final part, we'll address two questions:

• Do divorced spouse retirement benefits terminate if I remarry?
• How can I learn more?

Among the Ask a Divorce Lawyer questions answered today by Cordell & Cordell attorneys:

• My divorce papers in one state order me to pay child support until my sons are 21. They now live in another state where emancipation is 18, so do I have to keep paying until they are 21?
• How long do I have or how do I go about forcing my wife to get the rest of her belongings out of my house so I can move on?
• Can my 17-year-old daughter refuse overnight visits with me?
• What can I do if my ex defaulted on a loan that is ruining my credit?
• What can I do if my child support was calculated incorrectly?
• My house is in the process of foreclosure. I have access to my 401k to stop the process and pay all our outstanding bills. Should I salvage the house and start fresh with zero debt just before we get a divorce?