Alimony, which is called "maintenance" in Colorado, is more discretionary, and is meant to provide financial support to the spouse to enable him or her to become self-supporting. The amount and duration of maintenance is determined by various factors including the length of the marriage; the age, health and education of the parties; the parties' marital lifestyle and standard of living; whether a spouse gave up his or her career to be a homemaker and full time parent, (lost earning capacity); the time, expense and education necessary to rehabilitate a spouse who has been out of the workforce; and the future earning capacity of each party. An attorney experienced in the field of family law should be able to predict the amount and duration of support based on knowledge of prior cases.