Your spouse’s net worth is not yours!

[Anonymous]

You might want to familiarize yourself with the laws around division of assets in divorce. You will learn that each spouse is entitled to a roughly equal share, even if that spouse didn't earn it. There are some exceptions of course, such as in cases of inheritances, but that's generally how it works.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A marriage creates a household. A household has financial status, and spouses are financial partners. The legal system and courts recognize this. Not sure why you don't? So stupid!

This. Also, DH makes just a little bit more than me. If we were to divorce (we are happily married, so this is just hypothetical), it would cause a huge financial hit to both of us. Our house is probably worth about $1.2M. There are no $600k houses in our area, such that we could sell our house and each buy something for half as much. Also, we don't own enough furniture to furnish two houses. The kids would probably need two of a lot of things (in addition to bedroom furniture) for each house. It goes on and on.

[Anonymous]

Makes no sense. Dh and I have been together since college. I worked to support him in grad school, and now he makes a lot more. Everything we have we got while together.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A marriage creates a household. A household has financial status, and spouses are financial partners. The legal system and courts recognize this. Not sure why you don't? So stupid!

This. Bizarre post.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We got married young when we both had nothing. Everything we have is joint, if we divorced tomorrow we would each have half of everything.

Yes. Been intermingling our finances for almost 30 years of marriage. It’s our money.

[Anonymous]

Why is it my spouse's net worth? Because he's the man? It's our household net worth. And I'm the higher earner.

[Anonymous]

This is a seriously unhinged rant.

[Anonymous]

I have some money I came into by the inheritance. I put it in a separate account, it is not something DH came into. However, as we have a very healthy marriage, DH suggested putting the money into a separate account, which I had to open.
The first thing I did with some money was buy a pricey vehicle for my DH. The rest of this money will go into a downpayment for a property that will be in both of our names.
Guess what my DH did while I was on and off a SAHM to two SN kids? All the money he earned was our money.
Luckily, I did not marry OP! What goes around, comes around. For loving and sharing spouses, it is generally a good come-around. For narcs like op, it is always bad.

[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.

Ummmm if two got married theirs is together.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

This is the law. If one spouse gets a gift or inheritance then it is the property of just that spouse unless commingled.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Lol good luck when the that. Sketchy people will try to hide assets to keep it out of a difference vision of marital property but in states that do marital property this is not legal and can get you penalized in the divorce decree. Look it up.

Yes it is legal. Not sure where you learned this but it is wrong. People do this all of the time. Also applies to gift. If DW’s dad gives her 1 million dollars it is hers alone. Not part of the estate. I would have no claim at all. Unless she took that million and we bought a house or put it in our joint account.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Lol good luck when the that. Sketchy people will try to hide assets to keep it out of a difference vision of marital property but in states that do marital property this is not legal and can get you penalized in the divorce decree. Look it up.

Keeping an inheritance separate and not comingled is neither sketchy nor hiding assets. What an heir inherits is his or hers alone, regardless of marital status.

Here are two other scenarios where inheritance becomes marital property. These are outside the definition of “commingling”

Using the inheritance
How the inheritance is used during the marriage can also be a factor. For example, if the inheritance is used to pay off a joint mortgage or debt, or to purchase a jointly held property, it may become marital property.

Family heirlooms
If an inheritance is a family heirloom that is displayed in the home, it may be subject to division based on the court's interpretation.

These are examples of commingling.

[Anonymous]

I never say "my" net worth or "his" net worth, it's more fun to say "our" net worth because the number is twice as big. Trying to think about why that number is relevant for any reason other than "hmmm, this is how much money we have." I don't think rich people at the club are really comparing net worth.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What? I'm the higher earner in my marriage, and I still feel like the financial hit would be too great. Two households! I don't really understand this post.

OP here. Higher-earner, lower-earner, non-earner—doesn’t matter. Your net worth is your household net worth divided by two.

So if one spouse dies, where does their half of the savings go, if not to the living spouse? BTW, this is a legal matter in most states - not a choice.

[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.

Stop sockpuppeting, OP.