My husband and I have been married for nine years and recently separated. I initiated the separation because we have grown apart. We have not had intimate relations other than a peck on the cheek in over three years. He travels frequently (No travel when we married) and is 12 years older than me. We have no children, but do have 4 pets. There is a significant amount of money involved in the form of:
- a 4-bedroom home (valued at $175K, with $60K debt in the form of an equity line)
- 12 acres of land (Unencumbered, valued at $250K, purchased after we were married but the majority was paid for by a condo that he sold after the marriage)
- ~$200K in Exxon and other stocks (an inheritance left to him)
- ~$200K in life insurance policies (Whole-life, this is their cash value, half purchased after we were married.)
- $300K in IRA’s in his name, $7K in IRA’s in my name
- $350K in 401K from his earnings, $20K in 401K from my earnings
- He also owns 2% of his electrical engineering firm, which has no significant realized value yet.
I am only asking for the house in our settlement, with no debt attached to it and no alimony. The home is tax-valued at $175K. His annual income is ~$150K and mine is $27K. (I work for a non-profit). We never thought that we would get divorced, but I realized that having all the money in the world won’t make you happy, and I can’t live the rest of my life unhappy. My question is, am I asking too much? He does not want to involve a lawyer in the distribution of assets, and I only want to make sure I’m taken care of for a couple of years. He also stands to inherit a significant amount of money when his parents die.