When a couple in New York or elsewhere decides to “untie” their marital knot, numerous issues must be resolved before they can move on in life as “singles.” Whether you and your spouse have been together for 20 or 30 years or have been married less than a decade, you must still reach an agreement about important matters, such as child custody (if you’re a parent) or property division issues.
How much money will be in your bank account, which assets will belong to you and what liabilities you’ll be responsible for depend on various factors, including whether or not you and your spouse signed a prenuptial agreement before your wedding day. Some divorce settlements are simple while others are much more complex because they involve high-net-worth assets.
MacKenzie Bezos became one of the world’s richest women after divorce
You may have read about Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos’ split from his former spouse, MacKenzie Bezos. Their divorce settlement was one of the highest net-worth divorces of all time. Bezos agreed to a settlement that left his ex with a net worth of more than $35 billion.
Black Network Television mogul Sheila Johnson walked away with millions
Sheila and Bob Johnson staked a claim to fame as a married couple when they became the first African-American billionaires in history. When they settled their divorce, Sheila Johnson agreed to a settlement of $400 million. She also wound up marrying the family court judge who finalized her divorce.
Wynn Resorts CEO divorced the same wife twice
When you married your spouse, you undoubtedly expected your relationship to last a lifetime. After filing for divorce, you might question why you ever thought you were compatible. Some former couples, however, such as the CEO of Wynn Resorts in Las Vegas, remarried the same wife and wound up getting a divorce a second time. In this case, the settlement is estimated to be one of the largest of all time at $1 billion.
The top priority for property division is to obtain a fair settlement
You and your spouse might have acquired a tremendous amount of wealth during your marriage, similar to some of the former couples mentioned earlier. Then again, perhaps you do not have many assets or debts. Either way, how much your net worth happens to be is not nearly as important as making sure you obtain a fair settlement.
If you suspect that your spouse doesn’t have fairness in mind and is trying to beat the system by stashing cash or hiding assets, you can seek the court’s intervention to help resolve the problem. You don’t have to be a celebrity to have the right to a fair settlement in a divorce. If you don’t think you’re getting all that you’re entitled to because your ex is failing to disclose assets or is being deceitful, you can seek additional support to rectify the problem.
