Many people in the throes of divorce may be concerned about whether a spouse is hiding assets. However, people in these positions may not have the resources to hire a forensic accountant or another investigator root out assets that are rightfully yours. While you may gasp at the sight of your spouse’s financial affidavit (because you know it’s not true), there are several documents that your attorney can request (and review) to find hidden assets.
Even while your attorney is working, there are several things that you can do, as reported through the HuffingtonPost.com. This post will highlight a few of these steps.
Initiate a public records search – By conducting a public records search in your spouse’s name, or in names you are familiar with (i.e. companies that your spouse owns or has ownership interest in), you can find real property that has not been previously disclosed.
Get tax returns – Review joint tax returns, as well as other business returns and 1099s to make sure that all income is properly reported. If it is not, you will be able to explain to your counsel why the reported income is false.
Review your family budget – This is important in order to match the income that you know about to the expenses that are germane to your household. Simply put, if there are more expenses than income, it is a tell-tale sign that some income could be missing.
Review past bills – It is also critical to review credit card statements and various bills to see how they were paid. They may reveal another account that has not been disclosed.
Source: HuffingtonPost.com,” Discovering hidden assets: What your spouse hasn’t disclosed during your divorce,” October 30, 2013
