What happens when the husband is the out-spouse?

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 contrast to most of the articles I write here—reflective of most of the divorce cases I work on—in this story, the wife was not the out-spouse, financially. Oh no. She was a high-powered C-suite executive, who commanded an impressive income, and had brought serious assets into the marriage.

That’s why she came to me: I’m a CPA, a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER^® professional, and a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst^® professional.

So. She’s a big earner, a Type A go-getter.

And the husband in this story? Oh heck. I can’t mince words here. He was lazy. He had latched onto her for her wealth. He was Barnacle Bill.

Did he work, at all? Arguably. He enjoyed fishing. So he created a “business,” in which he would be a “sponsor” at fishing tournaments, so that he could… go fishing. During the marriage, the wife went along with this little charade, indulging his “business expenses” for tax purposes.

Past as prelude

I knew this woman for years; I’d helped her through her first divorce. And at least that one had had a pre-nup. (Yes, I’m cringing, too.) And here it is, at the time of Divorce Number Two, “Barnacle Bill” is feeling powerful. He wants alimony. Lots of it. 

Here’s where personalities come into play. Do you think that a judge or mediator would be sympathetic to Barnacle Bill? A quick vocational study of his past—and future potential—earning capacity would come into play. As would the other guidelines for being awarded alimony, as promulgated by the state of Arizona. Things like “Did he sacrifice his income for her to pursue an education or income growth?”

Yeah. Fishing.

But remember what I said about personalities. The woman in this case was not just a C-suite executive. She was what I would call a high-testosterone female, who wouldn’t think twice about telling a judge how things should be.

Oh yeah. That would go over real well.

I can see you smiling. There’s no such thing as a clean or simple case. Is there?

Anyway. Back to the financial side of this story. I didn’t just help poke holes in Barnacle Bill’s alimony claims. I also took a deep dive into his spending habits. I can’t say that we could prove community waste. But I found a sufficient amount of what you could easily call “community waste adjacent.”

Where things went: The financial digging and prodding of mine delighted the attorney; it was great case-building ammunition. The attorney was wise enough to keep his client from saying anything confrontational in front of authority figures. And Barnacle Bill was forced to think about a future that included more effort from him than baiting hooks and drinking beer.

Have a divorcing-woman client with substantial assets at play? Contact me and let’s talk.