People in Colorado and across the nation who seem to “have it all” with wealth and all the benefits of being a high-profile couple can experience marital strife. For many, this will result in a divorce. A high asset divorce has different concerns for the parties and these must be mitigated as the process moves forward. Even in cases where the couple proclaims their friendship and that they plan to avoid rancor and dispute in any part of the process can suddenly face concerns and struggles as the process moves forward. Even those who are of lesser means can take lessons from a high asset divorce.
The founder and largest shareholder of Amazon.com, Jeff Bezos, is divorcing his wife. The couple’s marriage lasted 25 years and they worked together to build the prominent company from one that began in a garage and is now a worldwide giant worth hundreds of billions of dollars. Mr. Bezos is widely viewed as the world’s richest person. The couple had separated for a trial period. They then announced their split on social media in an announcement they both signed. They stated their intention to stay friends.
With a divorce that has the massive assets that Mr. Bezos’s does, it is up for discussion as to how the assets will be split. No divorce case in history has had this amount of assets at stake. Mr. Bezos is said to be worth approximately $137 billion. Most of it is in Amazon shares. He owns 16 percent of the company. He also owns other entities including the Washington Post and a rocket ship builder. Mrs. Bezos is said to have played a major role in the company reaching its heights in recognition and financial power.
Very few people have the level of wealth where their assets are in the hundreds of billions and they are known across the world. However, there is useful information that can be gleaned from this level of divorce even if it is a couple who has significant assets, but are not as wealthy as Mr. Bezos and his soon-to-be ex-wife. Various issues will come to the forefront in a high asset divorce of any kind including how a business is shared, what the strategy for assets are, and how the divorce will impact the business after it is concluded. A law firm that helps clients with high asset divorce should be contacted for a consultation immediately when there is a decision to divorce.
