By Alisse C. Camazine
We are often asked what to do when a spouse is secretive about money. In these situations, an accountant will be retained to complete a forensic evaluation of the finances. This occurs in many different scenarios, including the following:
- Has your spouse been hiding money or become secretive about finances?
- Have passwords been changed on financial accounts.
- Have there been lifestyle changes, including new purchases of large items?
- Has your spouse’s income declined suddenly?
- Have there been large transfers of money from one account to another or convoluted financial transactions?
- Has your spouse all of a sudden borrowed money or incurred significant expenses?
- Have large sums of money disappeared?
- Has your spouse been gambling?
- Has your spouse been taking a lot of “business trips?”
- Have there been a lot of cash withdrawals?
- Does your spouse all of a sudden have a lot of cash?
In these circumstances your attorney should seek the assistance of an expert who can assist with a thorough evaluation of the finances.