Divorces happen for many different reasons, but assets undoubtedly play a major role in many couples deciding to split up.
But do asset amounts also impact the type of arguments that happen during the divorce process itself?
Asset division in divorce
As Business Insider discovered, assets may impact arguments in divorce in a way different than expected. Popular myth dictates that the more assets a couple has, the more vitriolic their arguments in asset division will be.
It is true that assets impact asset division arguments to a degree. For example, couples with a net worth of between $1 million and $5 million actually fight so much that they earned the moniker “the fighting class” in media.
However, couples with over $5 million in net worth have the highest rate of amiable divorce out of any other wealth bracket. When they do fight, it is usually over matters like social status rather than material wealth.
The impact of financial security
Why does this happen? Some speculations point to financial security as the driving reason behind asset-based arguments in divorce.
Put simply, the more financial security a couple has, the less likely they are to fight over assets in divorce. Couples with a high net worth do not fear what may happen to them financially even if the divorce does not go in their favor, reducing the related stress and desire to get as much as possible out of their spouse.
On the other hand, couples with lower net worth understand that just one wrong move could cost them the lifestyle they have come to know, or even their ability to support themselves. This is why they tend to fight more.
