Your spouse’s net worth is not yours!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This post is really dumb. There is a huge financial benefit to combining two households into one household. That is obvious to people who are married, and that why divorce is expensive --- you have to double up a lot of costs that were combined before.

You don't need to be married to share living expenses with somebody.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This post is really dumb. There is a huge financial benefit to combining two households into one household. That is obvious to people who are married, and that why divorce is expensive --- you have to double up a lot of costs that were combined before.

OP here. You know who else had the brillia⁰nt idea of combining households to save money? These innovators called “roommates.” It doesn’t mean they can each claim the net worth of the other four as their own or that this advantage extends for perpetuity.

How many people want to be roommate with your kids half the time, and roommates with other kids the other half the time?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This post is really dumb. There is a huge financial benefit to combining two households into one household. That is obvious to people who are married, and that why divorce is expensive --- you have to double up a lot of costs that were combined before.

OP here. You know who else had the brilliant idea of combining households to save money? These innovators called “roommates.” It doesn’t mean they can each claim the net worth of the other four as their own or that this advantage extends for perpetuity.

Claiming net worth for what, exactly? Who cares? Why on earth does this bother you?

[Anonymous]

Seems to me like most unhappy people do divorce.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP is single with not kids, obviously.

Definitely no kids. I have been both the higher earner and the lower earner in my marriage and the idea that our net worth is separate is stupid but it's especially dumb fur a family with kids. My brother is divorced and his finances are still tied up with his ex and will be until their kids finish college in 10 years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This post is really dumb. There is a huge financial benefit to combining two households into one household. That is obvious to people who are married, and that why divorce is expensive --- you have to double up a lot of costs that were combined before.

You don't need to be married to share living expenses with somebody.

Marriage is not just about sharing living expenses. Spouse's are not roommates. When you are married you also *legally* share debt obligations and your assets are jointly owned. If you inherit money it becomes a marital asset. Same with bonuses or real estate sale proceeds. If you die your spouse inherits your estate unless you've gone to great lengths to prevent that. If you have a pension your spouse is generally entitled to a survivors benefit.

If you don't like this, don't get married, bit the reason net worth is calculated as a couple not individually us because legally you are both entitled to it unless you have an air tight prenup and estate planning, which very few people do (even wealthy people).

What's mine is yours. True for marriage, not fir roommates.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This post is really dumb. There is a huge financial benefit to combining two households into one household. That is obvious to people who are married, and that why divorce is expensive --- you have to double up a lot of costs that were combined before.

You don't need to be married to share living expenses with somebody.

Marriage is not just about sharing living expenses. Spouse's are not roommates. When you are married you also *legally* share debt obligations and your assets are jointly owned. If you inherit money it becomes a marital asset. Same with bonuses or real estate sale proceeds. If you die your spouse inherits your estate unless you've gone to great lengths to prevent that. If you have a pension your spouse is generally entitled to a survivors benefit.

If you don't like this, don't get married, bit the reason net worth is calculated as a couple not individually us because legally you are both entitled to it unless you have an air tight prenup and estate planning, which very few people do (even wealthy people).

What's mine is yours. True for marriage, not fir roommates.

Pay attention to the above, stupid OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This post is really dumb. There is a huge financial benefit to combining two households into one household. That is obvious to people who are married, and that why divorce is expensive --- you have to double up a lot of costs that were combined before.

You don't need to be married to share living expenses with somebody.

Marriage is not just about sharing living expenses. Spouse's are not roommates. When you are married you also *legally* share debt obligations and your assets are jointly owned. If you inherit money it becomes a marital asset. Same with bonuses or real estate sale proceeds. If you die your spouse inherits your estate unless you've gone to great lengths to prevent that. If you have a pension your spouse is generally entitled to a survivors benefit.

If you don't like this, don't get married, bit the reason net worth is calculated as a couple not individually us because legally you are both entitled to it unless you have an air tight prenup and estate planning, which very few people do (even wealthy people).

What's mine is yours. True for marriage, not fir roommates.

This is not true as long as you keep it separate and don't commingle it.

[Anonymous]

Ignore OP. He or she is a financial moron.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ignore OP. He or she is a financial moron.

Or not. The OP knows her own finances and can live independently. Sadly, most married women wouldn’t be afford to live independently which is sad. They are tied to marriage even when it is abusive.

[Anonymous]

Something to consider if you are contemplating divorce when you are 35, is it better to have an individual net worth of 200K and a median income salary (50K), or a net worth of 50K and a salary of 200K? I don't think that if you are far away from retirement net worth is as important as earning power, and often women who feel trapped in terrible marriages were mommy tracked so their earning power sucks. It's not that they thought they would get 100% of household assets in the case of divorce.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ignore OP. He or she is a financial moron.

Or not. The OP knows her own finances and can live independently. Sadly, most married women wouldn’t be afford to live independently which is sad. They are tied to marriage even when it is abusive.

Don't insult the intelligence of people who know their own finances and can live independently. The vast majority of them have much more financial literacy than OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You're immeasurably stupid, OP:

1. Everyone knows they're entitled to half, BUT -
2. Lots of people, especially sole-earning males with wives who do not control the accounts, can hide large portions of their wealth so the other gets very little. It takes MONEY to pursue financial discovery.

3. People get used to a certain lifestyle that half of the HHI would not allow. Deprivation is RELATIVE.

How #2?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This post is really dumb. There is a huge financial benefit to combining two households into one household. That is obvious to people who are married, and that why divorce is expensive --- you have to double up a lot of costs that were combined before.

You don't need to be married to share living expenses with somebody.

Marriage is not just about sharing living expenses. Spouse's are not roommates. When you are married you also *legally* share debt obligations and your assets are jointly owned. If you inherit money it becomes a marital asset. Same with bonuses or real estate sale proceeds. If you die your spouse inherits your estate unless you've gone to great lengths to prevent that. If you have a pension your spouse is generally entitled to a survivors benefit.

If you don't like this, don't get married, bit the reason net worth is calculated as a couple not individually us because legally you are both entitled to it unless you have an air tight prenup and estate planning, which very few people do (even wealthy people).

What's mine is yours. True for marriage, not fir roommates.

This is not true as long as you keep it separate and don't commingle it.

Yet again -- unreliable armchair legal advice on DCUM.

[Anonymous]

You are wrong. In a marriage, it is 50/50. Marriage joint money by definition legally.