Arizona readers who watched last week's People's Choice Awards might have noticed that despite nominations in many categories, singer Katy Perry was absent. This is because Perry and her husband, British comedian Russell Brand, recently decided to divorce and Perry felt she needed some time to herself.

Although this is the sort of story that gets splattered across gossip websites, there is actually a lesson here that Bullhead City readers can learn.

Perry and Brand married in October 2010 and Brand filed for divorce about 14 months later. During the time they were married, Perry found great professional success. Her CD "Teenage Dream" has produced five top-selling singles and a worldwide tour proved to be extremely lucrative. Things have not been going so well for Brand, whose last film, "Arthur," flopped.

Naturally, with differing levels of professional success like that, Perry and Brand earned wildly different incomes during the time they were married. Some estimates have Perry's earnings since marrying Brand at $45 million, while he is said to have taken in somewhere in the neighborhood of $6 to $8 million. Now, apparently there was no prenuptial agreement, so if the law of California apply to the marriage (which is in question, since the two were married in India), then Brand could be entitled to half of what Perry made during the marriage.

The reason that all this is worth mentioning is that you should be aware that even in a short marriage, facts and circumstances can change dramatically, and unfortunately for people like Perry, who stands to lose half her earnings, that change is not always good. A conversation with an Arizona lawyer who regularly advises people before they enter into a marriage is never a bad idea.

Source: E! Online, "Did Katy Perry and Russell Brand Have a Prenup? And Who Will Walk Away Richer?" Leslie Gornstein, Jan. 3, 2012