Many times, we find ourselves mimicking the daily habits of celebrities in hopes that we can possibly duplicate their success. While this might be a constructive practice in the worlds of acting, music or other arts, when it comes to protecting assets during a high-stakes divorce, it would probably be wise to do the exact opposite of many high-profile celebrities.

Famed actor Mel Gibson, who was married for 29 years, finalized the divorce with his wife just before Christmas. The couple got married before the prime of Gibson's career. In fact, he did not have a lot of money at all when they wed, so they found no need for a prenuptial agreement. Even if there was a prenuptial agreement in place, it likely would not have been valid given the time the couple was married.

While the many of the details over the settlement are shrouded in privacy, Gibson's wife will reportedly receive $425 million dollars, which is half of the actor's assets. Gibson already signed two homes located in Malibu over to his ex-wife priced at around $22.5 million. Gibson's wife also has the rights to half of his paychecks for the rest of his life.

Sound familiar? That is because Gibson's situation is a familiar refrain among celebrities. Here are a few other high-profile individuals and how much they lost in their divorces.

  • Madonna: After divorcing filmmaker Guy Ritchie, the singer's ex-husband came away with anywhere between $76 million to $96 million.
  • Kevin Costner: The actor eventually ended his 16-year marriage and his ex-wife walked away with roughly $80 million.
  • Harrison Ford: After being married to a screenwriter for 18 years, the two divorced and Ford had to part ways with around $90 million. The couple failed to establish a prenuptial agreement prior to marrying.
  • Michael Jordan: The star basketball player actually signed a post-nuptial agreement that gave his wife access to his fortune. So, when the marriage went south in 2007, his wife walked away with a third of his assets -- around $168 million.

High-asset divorces can no doubt be complicated and tedious. Taking the right actions to protect your property and assets is crucial.

Source: The Daily Beast, "Mel Gibson and more biggest celebrity divorce payouts," Dec. 27, 2011