I just came across a topic worth paying close attention to. Divorce lawyer James Sexton, who has been practicing for 26 years, recently shared his professional observations—one phenomenon in particular is especially interesting: cryptocurrencies are becoming a new tool for high-net-worth individuals to hide assets.

We all know that money is important in marriage, but one of James’s points is particularly poignant: money itself isn’t the root cause of marriage breakdown—what really matters is emotional detachment. Economic shortages do harm to a marriage, but being excessively wealthy makes divorce more likely instead. When your net worth is in the hundreds of millions, even if you split half the property, you can still live comfortably; at that point, the drive to maintain the marriage disappears. Among his clients, there’s a Bitcoin enthusiast who would rather give his wife all his other assets just to keep Bitcoin. In the end, when they divorced, Bitcoin fell from more than 100,000 to over 60,000—yet he ended up getting the bigger advantage.

This comes down to a key issue: tracking cryptocurrencies. In the early days, cryptocurrency transactions were almost impossible to trace. People could transfer assets anonymously without using platforms like Coinbase. Many lawyers didn’t understand this system at all, which allowed those in the know to hide assets with ease. It wasn’t until 2026 that New York State officially added cryptocurrency entries to divorce property division documents. Before then, these assets were classified as “other,” as good as meaningless.

James said he started studying cryptocurrencies and blockchain quite early, with the goal of tracking such “hidden” assets in divorce litigation. He encountered a case where the other party claimed they had lost the password to their hardware wallet and it had turned into a “brick,” but halfway through the lawsuit, the other party suddenly found a way to recover the password. Many times, because a spouse and the lawyer don’t understand Bitcoin, the knowledgeable party gains a huge advantage.

Behind this is a deeper problem: financial transparency in marriage. Successful partners communicate openly—whether it’s good investments or bad decisions, they can lay it all out. But this kind of transparency also needs a certain level of privacy and mystery; fully fused finances can actually smother love. The “three-layer financial system” he recommends—yours, mine, and ours—is surprisingly practical: it helps maintain independence while still having a shared foundation.

When it comes to repairing a marriage stuck in a rut, James’s advice is unexpectedly simple. It doesn’t require any grand gestures—just “small acts of reconnecting,” such as leaving a note in the morning, sending a text that reminds the other person of you, or offering sincere compliments. He said that when he had a beard, one ex complained that it was prickly and made him feel that shaving was a burden. But another praised him for looking clean-shaven, like the leading man in an ad—so sexy. The result was that he ended up wanting to shave up to three times a day. How you express yourself really matters; emphasizing the positive works far better than direct criticism.

Love is a verb, not a feeling. Spend 10 minutes walking together each week and ask each other, “What are three things you did this week that made me feel loved?” These free methods work better than anything. In everyday life, what makes people feel loved is often found in small details—like a hand on your shoulder when your mood is low, or a meal you really love. If you ask a man to help open a jar of kimchi and praise him, no matter how big he is, he’ll feel proud beyond words.

To be honest, these observations are still very enlightening for modern people. Especially today, when cryptocurrencies are becoming more and more common, couples need to build a framework for trust and transparent financial communication. If you’re also using cryptocurrencies for asset allocation, take a look at the market on platforms like Gate, and also think about how to discuss these investment decisions honestly with your partner. After all, true wealth management isn’t just about numbers growing—it’s the foundation for maintaining a relationship.