Gilbert Alden Blog

Advocating for Love: Why Every Couple Should Have an Prenuptial Agreement


  This past weekend, I walked past the “Clearance” section of Target, and all of the Valentine’s candy, decorations and cards were carefully stacked on the discount shelf.  If I was smart, I would have taken the time to pick out cards for the next year and saved some money.  This year it was projected… Read more »


Tax Reform and Spousal Maintenance: Not All Bad News


In November 14, 2017, I wrote an opinion article which appeared in the Minneapolis Star Tribune regarding the elimination of the deduction for spousal maintenance on tax returns. At the time, the Senate’s proposed tax bill did not have this same provision. I was not sure how the House and Senate would reconcile their differences…. Read more »


The Stress of Divorce: What If a Spouse Dies During the Process?


There’s no doubt that a divorce is stressful.  Sometimes the stress can impact a person’s health in unimaginable ways – even the very real possibility of death.  I recently received a somewhat panicked phone call from one of my clients who informed me he was having a triple bypass surgery in a few days.  This… Read more »


Tis the Season of Holiday Parenting Time Exchanges


At this time of the year, my family room is invaded with commercials of happy, perfect families gathering around the tree or table for the holidays. While commercial retail America would like to paint this joyous picture, many families experience the very opposite. The reality for many families that are divorced or going through a… Read more »


What does spousal maintenance or alimony include and how it is calculated?


Spousal maintenance may be paid from one spouse to another and should provide for the reasonable monthly expenses of the obligee spouse so that spouse may maintain the same marital standard of living he or she enjoyed during the marriage. Examples of expenses included in spousal maintenance or alimony Spousal maintenance or alimony may include… Read more »