ShootingStar1

for his rubber stamp!!!!!!!

I'm FREEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!
I got everything I wanted, and he left happy that he got everything he wanted.

Wasn't easy.

He arrived, I went to the ladies room and met him in the hall in a fierce temper tantrum because he had spoken to my lawyer for one minute and whatever got said, AH went ballistic and said he'd see him in Court.

I persuaded AH to go back to the office so I could hear what the problem was.

Finally got him back into the Conference Room. Initial issue was that, as we sorted it out, the bank had made a big mistake and not transferred $25,000 he was due into his account. Wasn't in my account, though, and AH thought I'd stolen it.

He kept typing figures into his Excel spreadsheet, which was a ridiculous document to begin with, filled with charges against me for indecipherable items like "Taken" $35,000, whatever that meant. I made it clear he should have all the retirement money he earned before we were married, and other points in his favor.

He kept hollering, bellowing actually, that I was getting too high of a percentage and he would not have it.

Took 2 hours, but we got it done, and from my perspective, I believe I got everything I wanted. Learned from my financial advisor this morning that if I got part of his TIAA-CREF retirement account, I would have to pay taxes on it when I took the money out, probably at the 25% rate.

So at the end, I convinced him, and this is true, that I had protected his monthly income by giving him, in addition to his social security, his small pension, the rental property with its small monthly income, and full access to his retirement funds. And that his "lifeboat", the rental property was all his in case he ever needed another place to live. In exchange, I get half of the proceeds from the sale of our home, plus additional cash to equal the portion of his TIAA-CREF I would have been awarded. So, no taxes for me, which is a huge windfall.

All cash for me, which lets me start my life fresh, use my new financial advisor who is great to help me chart a realistic short term and long term financial plan. I'd already accepted that I have to go back to work. That's the tough nut for me to swallow, but I feel so much better physically now after 9 months of healing and I'm not having the bouts of sinusitis, bronchitis, walking pneumonia any more since I saw a nutritionist and started a regimen of healthy food and huge number of supplements to improve my immunity. I am doing better now than I have in 20 years.

So its DONE. OVER. STBXAH took me out for a very late lunch, and we worked out how to get the house on the market ASAP. He's happily moving on to live with a woman with very similar interests, AND, he is stuck with the taxes and carrying costs of the house, so it is in both our interests to get the house on the market now, while it is a very hot market here in New England.

Twenty years and one day of marriage. Only twenty years too long.

I am exhausted, relieved, happy, and exhausted. Going to go over the numbers tomorrow and I hope I got what I think I got. Either way, it is done and my life can begin again. My grown kids are joyful!!!!!!

ShootingStar1