<P> A pension or annuity may have first been acquired before a marriage . But if contributions are made with community property during marriage, then proceeds are partly separate property and partly community property . Upon divorce or death of a party to the marriage, there are rules for apportionment . </P> <P> Options are also difficult to ascertain . A stock option is a right to purchase shares of a company at a fixed price . Companies with growth potential sometimes award stock options as compensation to employees, during times when there is not enough money to pay a suitable salary . By accepting a stock option for compensation, an employee invests his or her own trust in the belief that he or she will help make the company acquire a higher value . Thereafter, the employee works and contributes value to the company . If the company later acquires a higher share valuation, then the employee may "cash in" his options by selling them at the fair market value . The employee's trust in this future value motivates his work without immediate compensation . That effort has value . If the marriage is terminated before the shares are cashed in, then the parties must decide how to apportion the community property portion of the options . This can be difficult . Case law precedents are not yet available for all situations involving stock options . </P> <P> Quasi-community property is a concept recognized by some community property states . For example, in California, quasi-community property is defined by statute as </P> <P> "all real or personal property, wherever situated, acquired before or after the operative </P>

When did arizona become a community property state