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I believe a well-orchestrated prenup, perhaps in combination with some structure of legal trusts, can (mostly) mitigate this. You can firewall assets and nix al

by sp527 4y ago

I believe a well-orchestrated prenup, perhaps in combination with some structure of legal trusts, can (mostly) mitigate this. You can firewall assets and nix alimony. And then move to Texas for the cap on child support orders, which really matters [0]. The only exposure you're left with is being liable for attorney fees, but hopefully Texas has some standard to preclude those from becoming unconscionable. A lot of people complain this is the wrong way to view marriage. That's only true if you're on relatively equal financial footing with your spouse. Any successful person has the right to structure their marriage such that there is no compelling financial incentive for their spouse to divorce them (and that too on top of a base divorce rate of ~50%). Only a fool would do anything short of make their marriage bulletproof in a situation of unusual spousal wealth asymmetry [1]. [0] https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/seven-celebrities-who-pay-an-enormous-amount-in-child-support/PJCX46ITHDOFCH37NM4GJM6XUE/ https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/seven-celebrities-w... [1] https://www.elle.com/culture/celebrities/a26570850/justin-bieber-scared-not-having-hailey-baldwin-prenup/ https://www.elle.com/culture/celebrities/a26570850/justin-bi...

zwirbl 4y ago
This is viewing a common problem through the eyes of the super wealthy. > And then move to Texas for the cap on child support orders I'd rather stay single than move to Texas because of a possible divorce. This is possibly the weirdest way to view a marriage I've ever come about
- sp527 4y ago
  Actually this a problem that most acutely affects a wealth demo in the vicinity of senior software engineer in tech. It's a far more dire and painful outcome if your $2-4M in assets get chopped in half plus owe alimony and child support than if you're Bezos or Gates and hold onto many billions. In fact, any divorce of the super rich in which the wealthy spouse is left with more than say ~$20M is acceptable in an absolute sense (still comfortably financially free). The beauty of the divorce racket is that victims usually don't understand the enormity of the financial pain involved until it's too late. Anyone who's observed a friend go through such a divorce would be wise enough to not make that mistake. As for moving to Texas, you can choose not to and just accept that a judge may order unconscionable amounts of child support to vindictively undermine your prenup (this is routine in states like California). I'm not making the recommendation to go to Texas lightly. The divorce game has gone through many rounds of evolution over many decades and is now almost perfectly calibrated to deprive the successful of their wealth. Personally, I'd rather just live in Austin. It's a fine city. I also don't believe in rolling the dice on marriage without protection. It's way too irrational to assume you'll beat the 1 in 2 odds.
ryanmercer 4y ago
>I believe a well-orchestrated prenup, If you think you need a prenup, you probably shouldn't get married.
- sp527 4y ago
  Dead wrong. Almost no one thinks they need a prenup at the time of marriage, because they fail to project forward on a long enough timeline. Relationships can morph dramatically within 2 years, let alone 10, 20, etc. Yours is the illogic that has resulted in financial devastation for many a sorry soul.
  - ryanmercer 4y ago
    Not dead wrong, if you're marrying for tax/insurance benefits and think you need a prenup you probably shouldn't be getting married. Marriage is first, and foremost, a religious thing and if you're going into it thinking "this is going to fail and my partner is going to try and screw me over" you simply shouldn't be getting married.

by sp527 4y ago

zwirbl 4y ago

This is viewing a common problem through the eyes of the super wealthy. > And then move to Texas for the cap on child support orders I'd rather stay single than move to Texas because of a possible divorce. This is possibly the weirdest way to view a marriage I've ever come about

sp527 4y ago
Actually this a problem that most acutely affects a wealth demo in the vicinity of senior software engineer in tech. It's a far more dire and painful outcome if your $2-4M in assets get chopped in half plus owe alimony and child support than if you're Bezos or Gates and hold onto many billions. In fact, any divorce of the super rich in which the wealthy spouse is left with more than say ~$20M is acceptable in an absolute sense (still comfortably financially free). The beauty of the divorce racket is that victims usually don't understand the enormity of the financial pain involved until it's too late. Anyone who's observed a friend go through such a divorce would be wise enough to not make that mistake. As for moving to Texas, you can choose not to and just accept that a judge may order unconscionable amounts of child support to vindictively undermine your prenup (this is routine in states like California). I'm not making the recommendation to go to Texas lightly. The divorce game has gone through many rounds of evolution over many decades and is now almost perfectly calibrated to deprive the successful of their wealth. Personally, I'd rather just live in Austin. It's a fine city. I also don't believe in rolling the dice on marriage without protection. It's way too irrational to assume you'll beat the 1 in 2 odds.

ryanmercer 4y ago

>I believe a well-orchestrated prenup, If you think you need a prenup, you probably shouldn't get married.

sp527 4y ago
Dead wrong. Almost no one thinks they need a prenup at the time of marriage, because they fail to project forward on a long enough timeline. Relationships can morph dramatically within 2 years, let alone 10, 20, etc. Yours is the illogic that has resulted in financial devastation for many a sorry soul.
- ryanmercer 4y ago
  Not dead wrong, if you're marrying for tax/insurance benefits and think you need a prenup you probably shouldn't be getting married. Marriage is first, and foremost, a religious thing and if you're going into it thinking "this is going to fail and my partner is going to try and screw me over" you simply shouldn't be getting married.