Is Your Ex Hiding Money?

5.  Review all insurance documents -- homeowners, auto, life and personal property.  

6. Call a major credit bureau and ask for a copy of your credit report: Try Experian, 800-682-7654; Equifax, 800-685-1111; or Trans Union, 800-888 4213. They’re the major players in the industry.

It’s also a good idea to contact your bank and check out your ATM receipts. Has your spouse changed his withdrawal habits? Has he or she taken out money from ATM’s nowhere near your home? Most importantly, has he or she changed any of your joint accounts to individual ones? These might be signs that your ex-spouse is trying to hide something from you.  


GETTING HELP

If your worst fears are realized – or if you are unable emotionally or tactically to take those steps – you can always contact a private financial investigator like Fitzgerald or matrimonial lawyer to dig up any financial dirt for you. For a price of about $100 to $350 per hour, a trained investigator will dig even deeper and trace bank accounts and other financial records; analyze the financial circumstances and the records behind them, and search share registries to trace assets.

If records are missing, a financial investigator can help you determine the extent to which records are missing, obtain relevant independent information from other sources, and reconstruct records from as many independent sources as possible. A good place to start is the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers.  This article, Knowing Your Marital Finances, covers marriage and money issues in detail.

One last word of advice: Any hidden assets you uncover give you real leverage in court proceedings. So don’t be afraid to wield that hammer when necessary. Say, for example, you’ve discovered your ex-spouse has been hiding thousands of frequent flier miles. If he or she wants them back, make them pay by adding a few thousand in cash to the divorce settlement. If he refuses, tell the judge your ex-spouse has been hiding those assets. Chances are you’ll walk away with the miles. Maybe the extra money, too. After all, nobody likes a sneak. Especially divorce court judges.

Brian O’Connell is  freelance writer and author. A single father of three, he has authored 15 books and has bylines in major national publications. To learn more about Brian, go to www.brianoc.com.