One of the worst parts of getting divorced is when all of your worldly possessions have to be divided up between the two of you, and arguments start over who owns what, who bought what and who wants what more. For example, you’ll probably agree over trivial stuff like the washing machine or the tool set, but when it comes to items such as the car, the widescreen LCD TV and your iPod, you won’t want to lose them.

Proving what’s yours and what’s hers can be very difficult, as legally you both own everything with a 50/50 split, even if you bought it, with your own money, before you were married. In fact, your wife has a legal claim over your property even if you have something that was bought for you as a present when you were a child, long before you even met her (this happened to me with a Hi-Fi system I had for my 17th birthday, and she wanted half of it).

Therefore, you’ll want to protect your items as best you can. One way to do that is to mark them as your own (not in the dog marking its territory sort of way) but with a pen, or via engraving. For example, you could have a laser engraving service to mark your iPod with your name, meaning she wouldn’t want that from you afterwards. You could use a permanent marker, or a UV marker, to brand the Television with your details. These marks can’t be removed, so if she tries to claim it she’ll have to suffer with your name reminding her constantly of where it came from.

It’s not a fool proof solution by any means, but it’s a start and will at least make her realise that something is yours, so if she tries to take it she’ll be reminded of that fact whenever she uses it.

You’ll find though that this won’t stop most women.

Clive Bellmore