To a large extent, alimony is a roll of the dice. Not so much whether alimony will be awarded, but how much – and for how long.

Not just in Florida, but in many states.

By contrast, most states, like Florida, have child support guidelines. A formula or calculation to determine child support.

This simplifies child support calculations and facilitates amicable resolution of child support disputes.

But such clarity continues to elude alimony.

But when New York finally adopted no-fault divorce last year, it legislated a formula for calculating temporary alimony.

Yet, for whatever reason, the New York legislature stopped at temporary alimony. It might have pushed the envelope just a little bit further and applied the formula to all alimony cases, at least as a starting point.

Two other states have adopted formulae for temporary alimony. At the same time, there is currently a good deal of pressure to broadly modify alimony laws across the nation.

The latter seems almost inevitable. If so, perhaps legislatures will seize the opportunity to implement guidelines in temporary as well as final alimony determinations.

Read more in this New York Times editorial: Ending the Alimony Guessing Game.