Keep me logged in until I sign out. For example, the wages earned by both husband and wife during the marriage are considered marital property. If one or both spouses buy a house or establish a business during the marriage, that usually will be marital property, particularly if the house or business is purchased with the husband's and wife's earnings.
Separate property is property that each spouse owned before the marriage.
Each spouse may buy, sell, and borrow money on his or her separate property. Income earned from separate property, such as interest, dividends, or rent are generally separate property. However, in some states that recognize community property, these profits may become marital property. Separate property can become marital property if it is mixed with marital property. If, for example, a wife owned an apartment building before the marriage and she deposited rent checks into a joint checking account, the rent money probably would become marital property, although the building is likely to remain the wife's separate property as long as she kept it in her name.