Goodbye Earl
I know a couple who are recently divorced. They were together for 20 years, no kids, and worked their way up to become quite wealthy. However, she was the clear breadwinner and in a senior position in an excellent job.
He also has a good job, but will never make nearly what she earns or close to what her earning potential is. She spent about two years prior to leaving telling him she wanted out, but found it hard to make the move, he would always find some reason to get her to stay.
She met someone and literally walked out the door one day. I don’t think he believed she would ever actually do it, so he was extremely angry, especially learning that she walked out the door into the arms of another man.
Her first offer on the table was 50/50 split. He would have come out way ahead on this deal, the house they shared had appreciated by several hundred thousand pounds, along with the flat they rented out.
But his anger got in the way and he spent the next three years insisting on more, at one point having some cockeyed views that he was entitled to 75%.
Even worse, some terrible things about their marriage would never have been forced to come out had he just signed straight away. I was glad she stood her ground, although the divorce went on for three years in the end.
At about the 18 month mark, I know he had spent £20k in lawyers so I imagine she was about the same. Lord knows what the final bills were for both.
At some point he was to hand over some of the furnishings and when she arrived to collect them, they had been cut up and urinated on, amongst other damage.
This guy was seriously shooting himself in the foot with these antics.
I was also pleased to hear that because he was being so difficult, she decided to go for the calculated financial contributions which meant when the divorce was finalized not long ago, she ended up with the lion’s share, equitable to what they both put in based on earnings.
And he could have walked away at the beginning with a nice nest egg. He deserved what he got, but still, he’s a damned fool.
| homerBM