One of the hardest parts of getting a divorce will be trying to split up your property. Your spouse could possibly make that process much more difficult by trying to hide assets from you.
Hidden assets can lead to a very unfair outcome in your divorce. The courts won’t be able to divide property that they don’t know about, which might mean that you lose out on thousands of dollars or more in marital assets. If you spot either of the warning signs of hidden assets listed below, you will want to carefully scrutinize financial records during your divorce.
Your spouse won’t give you income or tax records
You have a right to marital financial information so that you can strategize for your divorce. If your spouse tries to withhold crucial documentation from you, that is a red flag warning you of likely misconduct. If they refuse to voluntarily hand over financial records, you will need to pursue every legal avenue to obtain them.
There are accounts, property or income not included in their inventory
If your spouse has presented you with documentation that they claim summarizes the marital estate, what they don’t include in that paperwork could be a warning sign as well.
If you know that they have thousands of dollars of sports memorabilia but none of that is on the list, they may hope you won’t claim a share of it. The same is true for any missing income or property. If they don’t disclose everything honestly, you will likely need to scrutinize financial records that much more carefully.
Other possible warning signs of hidden assets could include finding information about storage units or safety deposit boxes that you didn’t know existed and receipts for purchases that include financial accounts or credit cards you were not aware of either.
You need to make your attorney aware of your concerns so that they can assist you in looking in to things carefully. This will help you seek a fair outcome in your divorce.