Bert and Ernie have been pals for a long time. They have the same $80K annual salary, and their employer, PBS, matches their $4K contribution to a 403(b).

They live across the street from each other on Sesame Lane and each owns his $200K Tudor-style home outright. They pay annual property taxes ($2K) and insurance ($700) on their home. Their homes are identical save for one feature: Bert gets the morning sun and Ernie gets the evening sun. Alas, their envy of each other is palpable.

Harold Smith, age 66, and Maude Smith, age 64, have been planning their retirement for a while. They did very well with their investments and both made a very good living. They saw the train-wreck coming in the housing market, and while they didn’t sell at the peak, they did ok when they sold their home in Nashville and moved into a rental in Havana, Florida (just outside Tallahasse).

Economics can’t say what’s fair, but it can help with divorce settlements by showing who’s really getting what and how to make the best out of a bad situation. Take Frank and Stacy Loveless. Frank’s 45, Stacy’s 38. He’s a dentist, she’s a dietician. They live in Saint Louis with their two kids, ages 7 and 3. The couple met in Frank’s dentist chair a decade ago. Stacy asked him out and, boy, what a wedding and what a great marriage until, well, things changed. Their main goal now is settling their affairs without declaring war.