For every time you’ve been faced with a complex case—such as one with a lump-sum spousal-maintenance payout, or a complicated asset mix with hidden tax implications—and told your client, “You should talk to your tax or financial advisor,” I have a new service for them… and you.

There’s a catchy old sea shanty called “Barnacle Bill the Sailor.” It makes me think of the client case I’m about to describe.

In these articles, I routinely tell you anonymized stories of clients of mine. This time, I’m going to tell you a story of my own.

I have tried, in these articles, to maintain an even keel. To dispense information which I believe that you, as an attorney, will find useful for your clientele.

Imagine this divorce case: You’re representing an affluent woman. Her soon-to-be-ex husband has an asset that he’s emotionally attached to. It could be his car collection. His business. Artwork. Jewelry. And he’s made it clear that he won’t let go. It’s an “over-my-dead-body” moment.

Talk about an unwritten rule. I’ve had more than one attorney tell me that spousal maintenance awards in Arizona effectively top out at about $120k a year, or $10k a month. Regardless of the woman’s financial status, pre-divorce.

In many cases, even if the wife doesn’t work in the business itself, she still collects a salary from it; this way, she has an income that can go toward a 401(k) retirement plan. So at the end of the year, the husband’s business funds the wife’s 401(k), typically with a matching contribution.

In a lot of cases which I—and you—work, the husband is a business owner. The wife, financially, is the out-spouse/not the main earner.