RMB 1.3 billion for a homemaker: custody, support and half the value of listed equity

Background

The client had not worked during the marriage. The wealth was almost entirely in the husband's hands: equity in a listed company, property, and cash. In situations like this the practical risk is not the legal principle — marital property is marital property — but the evidence: if the asset picture cannot be proved, the entitlement cannot be enforced.

What was done

1. Built the asset picture first. Company filings, equity records and property registries were assembled before any offer was discussed, so that the negotiation started from a documented position.
2. Kept custody and support inside the same negotiation. Treating the children's arrangements separately from the money would have weakened both; the outcome was structured as a single package.
3. Converted equity into value rather than shares. Rather than seeking a transfer of listed shares, the structure used the value of the equity to support a compensation figure, which avoided a change in the shareholding and made the outcome executable.

Outcome

The client obtained custody, more than RMB 8 million in child support, half the value of the listed-company equity — a package valued at approximately RMB 1.3 billion — together with three properties and cash assets of over RMB 30 million.

The practical lesson

Where one spouse controls the wealth, the decisive work happens before the negotiation: documenting what exists, in whose name and on what evidence. A value-based structure is usually both faster and more likely to be performed than a transfer of interests. This is the same approach we apply in high-asset matters.

Points to take away

• Document the asset picture before discussing any number.
• Keep custody, support and money in one package — splitting them weakens all three.
• Value-based structures are usually more enforceable than transfers of equity.