Quote: (12-07-2010 05:57 PM)playa_with_a_passport Wrote:
Off the top of my head, I can think of one type of average Joe who often get raped anally with no lube by Family Court Judges during divorce proceedings. Those unlucky bastards are guys who are lucky enough to still have defined benefit Pension plans. Military, Civil service and private Union workers still get a pension based on time on the job. Those pensions are considered communal property. Thus, the old lady gets a piece of your pension equal to how many years the marriage lasted.
Interesting. I googled it, and yes, you're right. But I see the reason for that - pension payments are type of deferred income, when you pay today and receive it in future. To pay into the pension fund today, he uses his today income, which is communal property. This means the spouse is also investing into the pension, and therefore should benefit from it as well. Same is true for a spouse investing in 401(k).
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I know a correction officer whose wife gets 50% of his 50K a year pension for life and that amount doesn't include the $$$ he has to fork over for child support.
Cases like that always make me wonder why guys marry women who do not want to work? If his wife worked, he'd get half of her 401(k) in divorce.
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Let's also not forget after 10 years of marriage, she's entitled to half your social security check as well.
This one needs a little clarification:
1. The way I read it first was that your social security check is cut in half, and she gets half of it and you get the second half. If someone read it the same way, this is misunderstanding. From SSA: "The amount of benefits you get has no effect on the amount of benefits your ex-spouse or their current spouse may receive."
2. She can receive either half of your SS check, or 100% of hers (whatever is larger), but not both.
3. It works for you as well - you can receive half of her SS check, or 100% of yours.
So I don't see the point here. I mean, fine, the government wants to pay my ex-wife more, but it doesn't come from my money, so why would I care?