It’s not always easy to agree with your spouse when it comes to money.
Gallup reported that only 32 percent of Americans actually prepare a budget and written document that outlines their spending habits. That’s in addition to another Gallup poll that found Americans are stressing out over their financial situations.
In 2011, there were 2,118,000 marriages in the United States, with 877,000 marriages ending in divorce or annulment, according the Centers for Disease Control. Several of those divorces were sparked by financial arguments, according to a recent study.
Coughing up money is never easy, and misery loves company. Here are 10 celebrities that had to sacrifice millions in their divorce settlements:
Heather Mills and Paul McCartney
The Beatles’ lead singer had quite the tough divorce back in 2008 when he and Heather Mills put their issues to rest. A family court in England awarded Mills a solid $48.6 million — nearly 15 times the cost of the couple’s wedding at $3.2 million, according to People magazine.
Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegren
Many will remember the nefarious controversy that sprung up with Tiger Woods back in 2010. Woods — who had cheated on his wife with a number of women — had to cough up $100 million in the divorce, TMZ reported back in 2010. Given Woods was worth about $500 million at the time, that’s quite a battle lost by the prolific golfer.
Britney Spears and Kevin Federline
Remember when these two were a couple? Well, it’s definitely not something Britney Spears is going to forget, since she had to pay Federline $1 million to get a joint-custody agreement, MTV reported. At the time, Spears was under fire and had been admitted to rehab, which allowed Federline to have full custody, MTV reported. But Spears bought him out and got the new agreement.
Michael Jordan and Juanita Jordan
Michael Jordan doesn’t just top the charts in basketball. In terms of divorce, his separation from Juanita Jordan was ranked as the most expensive celebrity divorce back in 2007. Fox News reported that Juanita received $150 million in the divorce.
Harrison Ford and Melissa Mathison
Harrison Ford didn’t fare well in his divorce, having to give $85 million to his ex-wife Melissa Mathison, Contact Music reported. The divorce also allowed Mathison to get earnings from movies that Ford made during their marriage, according to Contact Music.
Madonna and Guy Ritchie
Madonna is no beautiful stranger to that cash flow. Madonna had to sacrifice $92 million when the couple divorced in 2008, in what was one of the largest divorce settlements at the time, New York Daily News reported.
Neil Diamond and Marcia Murphey
Neil Diamond is all about “Coming to America,” the land of opportunity. And he surely gave Marcia Murphey a reason to like being in the country with their $150 million settlement, according to Comcast. At least he was nice about it, though, saying she was “worth every penny,” according to Comcast.
Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom
The divorce may not be final, but the money stakes are high. Khloe Kardashian wants to divorce Lamar Odom, and is willing to pay him $10 million to get out of the contract, according to Radar Online.
Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise
Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise were an electric popular celebrity couple in the earlier part of the decade. Holmes is expected to get $400,000 a year in child support, which is upwards of $30,000 per month, according to Fox News.
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver
Even the Terminator had to pay a hefty fine for his divorce. Maria Shriver got $100 million when the couple divorced in 2011, Hollywood Life reported. According to the same article, Schwarzenegger has a net worth of $300 million.
Email: hscribner@deseretdigital.com
Twitter: @herbscribner
