In this excellent Q & A from the Boston Herald, Wendy Hickey answers the question:
"My husband recently retired at the age of 60. He has no 401(k), no pension or other savings to speak of. He will get Social Security, although only minimal since he’s taking early retirement. We’re divorcing, we own a home with no mortgage and the kids are grown and gone. I still work and earn a good salary. After splitting the house, I thought we’d be done but he wants me to pay alimony.
Can I be forced to pay him alimony when it was his choice to retire with nothing put away? He also wants half of my two pensions when I retire in the next 10 years. Do you think this is something we need an attorney for or is arbitration the way to go?"