Going through a divorce can be painful, but it’s extremely unpleasant if your partner sends you a divorce request with short notice. A hundred questions will be raised but one of the key dilemmas will be whether your partner hid some assets from you. You need to give your best and try to make the divorce less unpleasant than it is and find those funds.
It’s not rare that a spouse has money or belongings that are hidden from their partner. If you’re suspecting that your soon-to-be-ex hid from you some possessions, don’t worry, we have a plan on how to find it.
Below you’ll find what you need to check if you have a feeling that your spouse is not honest about her/his finances and if it’s trying to fool you. With a few checkups, you’ll know you know what you’re up to and be able to plan your divorce plan further.
1. Search online directories
These days, each of us leaves much more details online than we assume. So maybe your partner hid paper assets from you, but he likely left some trail online. All you need to do is to search his/her name or the name of his/her friends and relatives. Eventually, it will show up somewhere.
If you pay attention to details and be persistent enough, you may find out that he/she was purchasing some assets, like cars or properties. Some online directories require registration and subscription, but it’s a small price compared to your potential discovery. It could be a helpful source of information to find anything about your partner.
2. Find hidden bank account
If your partner was insincere to you about his/her incomes and bank statements while you were married, he/she likely has some hidden bank accounts and you have to discover them as soon as possible.
They’ve likely opened an account in your children’s name, or maybe he/she moved assets to a friend’s or relative’s account, so you need to expand your search. Start with your partner’s social ID number, search for it and try to get some info online. It may lead you to the right spot.
3. Find hidden trust funds
If your partner was really keen, he/she could hide funds elsewhere besides bank accounts. These days, cryptocurrencies are a very popular way of saving money and their use is untraceable. So, do your best to find out if your partner has a cryptocurrency wallet or he/she keeps it somewhere online, you may discover a little fortune there.
4. Check Credit card statements
A credit card statement can tell you what your husband/wife spends his/her money on. He may have assets that you do not notice or know about. Overpaying with credit cards could cause money to appear as an asset that needs to be shared with you.
Another potential warning signal could be if you’ve noticed that suddenly he/she has new hobbies or if he/she has had expensive purchases lately. That’s one of the ways of drying money from your mutual bank accounts.
5. Pay attention to business records
In case your spouse owns a business or is an independent contractor he can easily hide important financial information from you. A common practice in divorce cases is that spouses use business entities to evade support payments. It may be a good idea for you to hire a financial expert to review business records.
6. Check hidden spots
It can sound like “an old school” method, but you wouldn’t believe how many people still keep their money in hideous places like in bags in toilet tanks, under the mattresses, in the kitchen cabinets, buried in the backyard, and many other places. This way of keeping money is especially popular among the people who earned money illegally or are hiding it from someone.
By sniffing this way you may not find cash, but you can uncover secret bank statements, stock certificates, life insurance policies, or keys to safe deposit boxes. It’s worth a try.
7. Hire professionals
You should not forget to contact professionals after you did the digging part. You need to be sure that you have legal rights on your spouse’s assets. Besides, an attorney may help you to find records that you’re not able to find on your own like financial statements, other account records, loan applications, etc.
All information you collect will look much better in the court if your attorney backs you up and your soon-to-be-ex will be cornered.
***Extra advice: If all this seems like too much trouble for you or you’re afraid that you’re not going to be objective and act too emotional you can always hire PI. Those professionals can do all the “dirty work” instead of you.
To sum it up!
If you have to go through a divorce, then try to make it painless as little as possible. When partners separate, everything at the end leads to finance, so try to keep your mind clear and get the best out of it. Use some of the above-mentioned tips and you may go through the divorce easier than you can think of.
