What kind of assets are divided in a divorce?
The parties in a divorce can agree to the division of the parties’ jointly owned property, or a judge can make that decision. Generally speaking, the property in question includes most of the property (both real and personal) that the parties have acquired during the marriage, including the marital home (and any other real property), home furnishings and fixtures, artwork, vehicles (including cars, boats, airplanes and motorcycles); money, stocks, bonds and other investments; pensions; retirement accounts; and privately owned businesses. The value of other, more intangible property is also often divided. Examples of divisible intangible property include the value of a patent on an invention, the value of the celebrity status of a spouse’s name, the goodwill value of a business owned by one spouse, and the value of a professional degree earned by one spouse. The value of these intangible assets will generally only be divided when both spouses made a substantial contribution to that valu
