I get a lot of questions about dividing property in a divorce. People assume one of two things, and both are wrong.  First, people assume that if they bought it with their money, even if the family used it, it remains theirs because, "I bought that with MY MONEY!"  Second, and alternately, people assume that everything a couple owns must be split 50/50 no matter who bought it, where it came from or how it was acquired.

South Carolina law says that when you marry, you become a two-person economic partnership.  You are in this together. Everything purchased by either partner while married, or otherwise earned (such as interest) is marital.  But, there are exceptions.  Gifts are never marital unless the giver says, "This is for the couple." That's why wedding gifts are marital, but Christmas gifts usually aren't.  When you talk with me, I will walk you through your property, when you got it, who paid for it, if it was a gift how it was gifted and by whom, and so forth.

If you earned money prior to marriage and you protect it correctly, you can come out of a marriage with those funds intact.  A prenuptial agreement can help you do this.  Many people, even starting out middle-class folks are talking advantage of this tool to help them protect their assets. So are people post-divorce, so that they save assets for their "first" family as they marry into a "second" family with new ideas about saving and spending.  As always, talk to a family lawyer about your needs, especially someone you trust.