<prompt> Human: I hope this doesnt come off as a stupid question but now that Im married I have a hard time deciphering what is mine and what is ours. Say I want to open a Roth IRA. The account is in my name and I am contributing from my paycheck every week. If we were to get divorced 10 years down the road when the account has, say 60,000 in it, does it get split between us both? Perhaps this is a selfish question, but do I have any financial avenues that will always remain mine? Lets be honest, tons of people get divorced.  <response>: Divorce laws vary by state, you should check yours if you want to know for sure. In my state, length of the marriage is also a factor.I just got divorced, in my case it was complicated. I made most of the money, she was finishing up clinical re-specialization, but had received a sizable inheritance.We couldnt agree, and the judge said that she should keep her inheritance, but the rest should significantly skew towards me. I got about 75 of the increase in marital assets.The only individual avenues left to you are those that cannot be traced back to you, like stashing cash somewhere, or slipping money to a friend off the books. I wouldnt really advise anything like the above, lying to the court is a dangerous game. If you are caught, you will be harshly penalized - like the woman who hid a lottery win from her husband. Everything both of you make is a martial asset - how would you feel if she had a good job and she put all of her money in a individual account? 