• 02
  • September
    2010

The Tiger Woods divorce saga underscores one important truth: that complex divorce is substantially more difficult than uncontested divorce -- and it's all because of the money.

One well-established tenet of marriage is that couples fight about finances just as much as they fight about any other issue. Assets and debt are hot-button issues, and can lead to divorce just as infidelity can lead to it.

In the case of Tiger Woods, his infidelity was the ostensible cause of his split with former wife Elin Nordegren.

But now that the dust and shock have settled after Tiger tarnished his public image, the newest object of scrutiny is Tiger's divorce settlement with Elin.

Tiger Woods is legitimately a brand unto himself, and many commentators have questioned how his divorce will affect his golf game and his sponsorships. Tiger took five months off from golf after initial reports of infidelity came to light, and his golf game hasn't seemed to be as it once was since his return.

Tiger and Elin have stated that their children are their highest priority. That is often the case when it comes to divorce. Child custody and parenting plans are often the number one issues. But money (spousal support, the division of assets and debts, the accurate valuation of businesses and real estate) is always -- if not also a number one issue -- a very close second.

And while details of the divorce settlement should properly remain confidential for the sake of privacy, the rumor is that Elin could get between $100 million to $500 million.

It always takes a lot more to settle a case when the numbers are that large.

Resource: http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/tiger-woods-elin-nordegrens-divorce-official/story?id=11462207