Did My Spouse Just Burn Our Retirement on Jet Skis?" — Understanding Marital Waste in Ohio Divorce

So, your soon-to-be ex blew $15,000 on a “business opportunity” involving two jet skis, a questionable “wellness retreat,” and a guy named Chad from Facebook Marketplace.

Welcome to the world of marital waste — and yes, Ohio law might care.

What Is Marital Waste?

In divorce, “marital waste” (legally known as financial misconduct) happens when one spouse squanders marital assets. Think:

• Draining your joint savings on gambling

• Buying a new car for their secret boyfriend

• Taking out a loan to fund their midlife crisis

• Racking up credit card debt on spa days and golf trips after moving out

In Ohio, if the court finds that your spouse intentionally wasted marital money — especially after the marriage started to fall apart — the judge can give you a bigger slice of what's left to make up for it.

What Doesn’t Count?

Marital waste isn’t:

• Just spending more than you’d like

• Bad joint decisions you both agreed to

• Your spouse being cheap or disorganized

To count, it needs to be something clearly selfish, reckless, or dishonest — and it helps if it happened after the relationship broke down.

What Can You Do?

If you think your spouse wasted marital assets:

1. Talk to your attorney — the earlier, the better

2. Gather documentation — bank records, credit card statements, Venmo screenshots

3. Tell the court — Ohio law allows judges to account for this in property division

You may be awarded a larger portion of what’s left to offset what was blown.