About EquityDivorce

Why this exists

Divorce is expensive, and a meaningful chunk of that cost is professional hours spent on math that's actually well-defined — apportionment formulas, time-rule calculations, pro-tanto splits, support-cap analysis. EquityDivorce is a free, transparent calculator that handles those calculations directly, so couples can either reach simple settlements without needing a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst (CDFA) at all, or use professional time efficiently when the case is genuinely complex.

Both parties run the same numbers their attorneys and CDFAs would run, with every formula sourced to its originating case law and every assumption exposed. That makes the math common ground — settlement meetings can focus on judgment and tradeoffs rather than recalculating from scratch or arguing whose spreadsheet is right.

The goal isn't to replace professional advice; it's to reduce the cost of the arithmetic so the professional hours go where they actually add value.

Who built it

Built and maintained by an engineer with 18 years of experience in building systems for clarity and efficiency. After going through the apportionment math personally, I built EquityDivorce to give parties a clear, auditable view of the same calculations their professionals work with.

I'm not an attorney, CPA, or Certified Divorce Financial Analyst. The tool isn't a substitute for any of those professionals — it's a complement to them. Every formula here is sourced to its originating case law, every assumption is exposed in the UI, and both spouses see identical numbers from identical inputs. Professionals can verify the math directly against the cases below; parties can show up to a meeting with the same page already loaded.

Methodology and case law

Every apportionment method implemented in this tool is sourced to the case law that establishes it. The math is reproducible from these sources alone:

RSU and stock-option apportionment

• Nelson formula (Time Rule): In re Marriage of Nelson, 177 Cal. App. 3d 150 (1986). Apportions an unvested grant by the ratio of marriage-overlapping time to total grant time.
• Hug formula: In re Marriage of Hug, 154 Cal. App. 3d 780 (1984). Anchors the apportionment window to the employee's hire date rather than the grant date. Used when the grant rewards past performance.
• Vested Shares: Counts only shares that vested before the date of separation. Simplest method; used when the court declines to apportion future vests.
• Ratable Vested: Proportional credit by tranche's time-in-marriage. Smooths the cliff effects of pure Vested Shares.

Real estate apportionment

• Moore/Marsden formula: In re Marriage of Moore, 28 Cal. 3d 366 (1980), as refined by In re Marriage of Marsden, 130 Cal. App. 3d 426 (1982). Apportions a home owned before marriage but paid down during it.

Spousal support

• Marital Standard of Living (MSOL) cap: California Family Code § 4332, codifying the principle that spousal support is capped at the marital standard of living. The MSOL value itself is a finding of fact established at trial or settlement.
• xspouse-style support tables: Per-party bonus-table lookups matching the format used by xspouse and DissoMaster — the two California-bar-standard guideline-support engines.

Reducing professional costs

One of the practical goals of EquityDivorce is to reduce what couples spend on professional fees — not by replacing professionals, but by letting them spend their time on judgment instead of arithmetic.

For simpler cases — a single straightforward asset class, no dispute about the date of separation, no contested method choice — both parties can run the numbers themselves, agree on a settlement figure, and bring an attorney in only to draft and review the paperwork. The CPA step is often skippable when the math is mechanical (no business valuation, no complex compensation, no tax surprises).

For complex cases — multiple grants, several candidate dates of separation, real estate with pre-marital paydown — the tool narrows the analysis space dramatically. Instead of asking a CDFA or attorney to model every combination of method × DOS × tax assumption from scratch, both sides can use the calculator to identify the two or three scenarios actually worth professional review. The professional then spends an hour on the cases that matter rather than ten hours on combinations that don't.

Either way, the tool's job is the same: make the math common ground so the professional time is spent on the parts that genuinely require professional judgment.

How the tool is built

A few design choices keep the calculator useful to both parties and to the professionals helping them:

1. Both parties see identical numbers. The math is symmetric — same inputs produce the same outputs regardless of who's looking. That removes "your spreadsheet vs. my spreadsheet" from the conversation.
2. Every formula is sourced. Each method links back to the originating case or statute, so the math can be verified against primary authority.
3. Assumptions are exposed, not buried. Tax rates, methodology choice, date of separation, and method-specific options are all visible and adjustable — so a CPA or attorney reviewing the output can see exactly what feeds it.
4. No signup to use the calculator. Sample data loads automatically so anyone — including a professional evaluating whether to recommend it to a client — can audit the math immediately.

See something wrong? Tell me.

No calculator gets every case right on the first try. Family law has edge cases, jurisdictional differences, and methods that reasonable practitioners disagree on, and software always has bugs the author didn't see. If you spot a formula that doesn't match how your jurisdiction handles something, a citation that's wrong, or a result that looks off, please flag it. Every correction makes the tool more accurate for the next person who uses it.

Missing a calculator you need? If there's an apportionment method, support scenario, or asset class the tool doesn't handle yet, let me know. Requests from people working actual cases — especially from attorneys, CDFAs, and CPAs — are the single best signal for what to build next.

Not legal or financial advice

EquityDivorce is a calculator, not a law firm or financial advisor. The output is math — not a recommendation, not negotiation advice, and not a substitute for an attorney or CDFA. Family law involves judicial discretion, jurisdictional nuance, and case-specific facts that no calculator can capture. Use the tool to understand the numbers, then work with an attorney, CDFA, or CPA on how those numbers fit your situation.

For family-law attorneys, CDFAs, and CPAs: if you'd like to discuss how the tool handles a specific scenario, request a feature for your practice area, or share it as a resource with clients, the Feedback tab is the easiest way to reach me. I'm actively interested in talking to professionals — feedback from people who work cases every day is the fastest way the tool gets better.