If you are dividing assets during a divorce, you are likely going to consider the money that your spouse earned during your marriage. It likely qualifies as a marital asset, meaning they have to divide those earnings with you, even though they were technically the one receiving the paychecks.
For many hourly workers, and even salaried employees, their earnings may simply be the money they were paid for their time at work. But for executives and other high-ranking officials, there are often other types of earnings to consider. It could go far beyond wages, and you need to understand exactly what options you have to divide all of those earnings correctly.
Stock options
One example is if your spouse was paid in stock in the company or given stock options, which give them the ability to purchase those stocks at a set price.
Depending on the growth of the company, this stock could be incredibly valuable. This is especially true if your spouse started at the company when it was very small or was even one of the founders. Their ownership in that business could have increased many times over while they were working there.
Bonuses and commissions
Additionally, executives are sometimes paid bonuses based on the performance of the company itself. If the business has done well and generated increasing revenue, bonuses can significantly add to executives’ yearly earnings.
Likewise, some workers are paid commissions. They may get an hourly wage, but, based on their sales or the work that they do, they have a chance to earn additional commissions that go on top of those wages.
As you can see, looking merely at their hourly earnings could leave a significant amount of assets on the table. While going through a high-asset divorce, it can help to work with an experienced attorney to ensure that you fully understand all of the assets to which you are entitled.