Originally Posted by
ckpeter
OK, I am still somewhat confused, but it sounds like you didn't win; you lost.
If you are doing a balance sheet approach and only settling at the end of the calculation, then you have taken your 100K miles, valued it at $2, and count it as your "contribution" to the balance sheet.
To use another example, suppose you took your $1000 (market price) car, and claim it on the settlement balance sheet as worth only $2. Instead of reducing your liability to your ex-wife by $1000, you only reduced it by $2.
You lost $998.
This has nothing to do with 50/50 division. You are using your personal asset as reduction in liability.
By under-valuing your miles, you are under-valuing what you are contributing to the balance sheet.
Assuming my understanding is correct, it sounds like your ex-wife may soon be posting a thread titled "mileage in divorce court -- I am the one who really won!"
(sorry, I mean, my condolences
)
It is a bit confusing, but I think you have it backwards. The couple was made to list all community property, of which the miles were. Valuations were assigned to each asset, by whom it's not really important if both parties agreed to them, tho it would be interesting to know. The couple then divides up the property, and compares value. They then settle up.
So if the wife ends up with $100k worth of property, and the OP with $80k worth of property, she must pay him $10k to make him whole.
By getting the miles valued at $2, the OP has most certainly "won" if the value sticks, as his wife only gets $2 worth of other assets in offset. Of course, only the lawyers really won.