Читать книгу THE LIFEBOAT STRATEGY - Mark Nestmann - Страница 10

Marriage. That’s right. Marriage.

I’m not talking about physical risk here (although some marriages do involve physical abuse), but financial risk. That’s because marriage, or more specifically the end of marriage, or divorce, can pose an unprecedented risk to your wealth.

If your spouse wants to make your life a living hell and make you face financial ruin, hundreds of thousands of lawyers stand ready, willing, and able to facilitate that process. There’s simply no end to the dirty tricks that angry spouses or the lawyers representing them can play.

To start with, your spouse may start making 911 calls claiming that you are abusive. The goal is to get you thrown in jail and declared an unfit parent. That way, your spouse gets sole custody of your children.

Does your spouse have access to your cell phone or computer? If so, he or she can install monitoring devices to eavesdrop on every phone call, text message, e-mail message, or instant message you send. It’s illegal, but common.

How about your driving records? If you’ve even driven on a toll road with an electronic toll collection system, your spouse’s divorce attorney will retrieve these records. For instance, they might be useful at proving that instead of staying downtown to work late at the office, like you told your spouse, you actually passed through toll plaza a stone’s throw away from the Cheatin’ Heart Motel.13

But the real fun begins when it comes time to divide assets and determine “fair” alimony payments.

For instance: let’s say that you’ve built a successful business. Your spouse helped, but you did the lion’s share of the work. In divorce court, though, your spouse testifies that he or she did everything. The judge may well award your spouse your business, and leave you out in the cold. You may even be required to pay your ex-spouse for the cost of training someone to take your place.

If you’ve ever cheated on your taxes, your spouse can go to the IRS and receive up to a 30% reward for turning you in (Chapter 2). You say it was your spouse’s idea to take tax “shortcuts?” Just try to prove that to the IRS.

There’s also a sneaky legal concept called “enhanced earning capacity.” It’s particularly detrimental to a young person who gets divorced. Not only must you give your ex-spouse a hefty chunk of your assets, you must also make additional payments if your income increases. You might even have to make larger payments whether your income increases or not—it’s sufficient that it should increase.14