But we're separated. Isn't that my money?

“I understand they get half my stock vested during marriage, but we’re separated now. I don’t understand, why do they get part of that stock too?”

“That’s the law. They filed a motion. Your vested stock that hits your paycheck stub is considered income available for support.”

The above is just a casual example.

Sometimes I wonder how people don’t know the rules of divorce. Other times I realize people don’t expect to get divorced and take for granted what I know to be the rules. For the example above, the basic is that if spouse #1 files the appropriate paperwork requesting support on June 1, 2024, that means all income earned by both spouses June 1, 2024 forward is available to pay support. While child and spousal support can be treated slightly differently, as child support is more statutory based, you need to know what income is available for support purposes.

What will matter over time is how this plays out depending on your ages, stations in life, what your jobs are, how much longer you will or should work, and the list goes on. For long term marriages, spousal support can be indefinite. Yes, indefinite. You will want to talk to a lawyer that practices family law, or divorce law, to help you get oriented on the rules and how they apply to you and your situation.