What are my benefits in a legal separation?

  Dear Anonymous:    Although a number of states permit legal separation, Florida is not one of them.  In other words, there is no such thing as a legal separation.  You can either stay married or divorce.  Sometimes couples do a post nuptial instead of a divorce, but without more detail this cannot even be addressed.   Also, as to your husband's retirement, if it was all earned during the marriage, then typically the asset is split in half.  However, not knowing what type of retirement plan it is (pension or 401K type), without knowing what other assets and liabilities there are in the marriage,  and not knowing what the papers say, I cannot advise you to sign or not sign papers.       Because this may be a significant source of assets and/or support in your marriage and possible divorce, I would urge you to speak with a lawyer before signing anything.  You would need to get, at a minimum, copies of the papers your husband wants you to sign for the lawyer to review.  Once the papers are signed you may not be able to change anything so get the advice in advance. Best of luck, Cindy Vova Law Offices of Cindy S. Vova,  P.A Broward/Boca Raton 954-316-3496/561-962-2785