Separate property includes assets you owned before the marriage along with certain gifts or inheritances received in your own name. The protection is not automatic. If separate funds were deposited into joint accounts or used to buy shared property, they can lose their separate character and become subject to division.
Documenting the origin and handling of those assets is the practical defense, and it is far easier when an attorney is involved early. Clients working with Brodzki Jacobs on a high net worth divorce in Fort Lauderdale benefit from organizing that proof before the other side has any reason to dispute it.
