The 10 warning signs that your spouse may be trying to hide money are:

1. You Don’t Have Access to Your Joint Bank Account(s)

If you spouse won’t share bank account information with you or give you access, they may be trying to hide something. It is your legal right to access joint bank account information at any time during your relationship or a divorce.

2. Uncommunicative About Finances

It is common for one spouse or the other to become uncommunicative about finances during a divorce, amongst other things. However, if you feel like your spouse is being secretive because they want to hide assets from you, ask them to let you see the information.

3. Separate P.O. Box

Did your spouse open a separate P.O. box different from your home address? This could be a sign your spouse doesn’t want you to see their mail or financial statements.

4. Deleting Financial Information

If your spouse is deleting financial information or programs from your computer such as QuickBooks, that’s a pretty good sign they are trying to keep you in the dark about finances. Another common way people try to delete financial information is by destroying or clearing out the hard drive of your computer.

5. Waiting to Collect Income

In some situations, one spouse or the other will wait to collect money (e.g. loan repayments, commissions or bonuses) until the divorce final. They may think that if the funds are received after the divorce, they don’t have to disclose or share, but this might not be the case.

6. Making Overpayments to the IRS

Sometimes a spouse will overpay the IRS or other creditors and wait to receive the refund until after the divorce is final. This keeps you from being aware of the income and may prevent you from being able to receive your fair share of that money.

7. Draining Joint Bank Accounts

If your spouse normally is frugal about their purchases but suddenly start making large purchases overnight, there might be fishy going on. They might be trying to buy items before the divorce occurs and then try to sell them off later after the divorce is final.

8. Transfers of Large Amounts of Money

It’s a huge red flag if you spouse suddenly starts transferring large amounts of money to a friend or family member before your divorce. They are most likely giving money to someone to hold for them until after the divorce, so it won’t be included in your pre-divorce assets.

Never Hide Money or Assets During a Divorce

You’re taking a huge risk by hiding money or assets from being included in the equitable distribution or community property settlement. You are likely to be caught red-handed during the discovery process and the sanctions can be severe. Your spouse might end up with 100% of the very asset you were trying to hide.

Good sense usually prevails, but if you think your spouse may be hiding assets, be sure to speak with an attorney about your best course of action.

Source:

1. Pagliarini, Robert. “10 Easy Ways to Hide Assets From Your Spouse.” AOL.com, AOL, 15 July 2016, https://www.aol.com/article/finance/2014/04/01/divorce-hide-assets-spouse/20858336/.
2. “How to Hide Your Money During a Divorce.” Fatherly, 22 June 2018, https://www.fatherly.com/love-money/how-to-hide-money-during-divorce/.
3. Guillen, Lina. “Attempting to Hide Assets Before Divorce?” Www.divorcenet.com, Nolo, 9 Apr. 2013, https://www.divorcenet.com/resources/divorce/before-after-divorce/attempting-hide-assets-before-divorce.

See Also:

• 9 Questions to Ask a Divorce Lawyer Before Hiring
• What is the Cost of a Collaborative Divorce?
• How to Ask for a Divorce Peacefully

Collaborative Divorce is a Peaceful Divorce Option

Divorce litigation can be scary and emotionally draining for you, your spouse, and your children. But it doesn’t have to be that way with collaborative divorce. The collaborative process can result in a less expensive, more efficient, and less harmful outcome for everyone involved. One of the legal, financial, and communication professionals at Best Legal Choices can help you navigate this difficult time in your life.