Opinion ID: 1162581
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: was an inequitably large share of the marital estate awarded to the wife?

Text: The husband's second point is that too great a share of the available marital property was awarded to the wife. As indicated at the outset of this opinion, the respective shares received by the parties appear to have been approximately 56% to the wife and 44% to the husband. While a 50/50 division of marital property is presumptively just, an unequal division can be condoned when it is justified by relevant factors identified in the findings of the court. Wanberg v. Wanberg, 664 P.2d 568, 574-75 (Alaska 1983). In the present case, the trial court's findings make a persuasive case that the unequal division is warranted because of the wife's future need for income during a period when she will be pursuing an advanced professional degree. We find no abuse of discretion on this point.