If your marriage is in trouble, you may be concerned that your spouse is hiding money or assets from you. Financial infidelity, whether it is the reason for a divorce, or a symptom of an impending divorce, is often a sign that a couple has much bigger problems.
A recent study from CreditCards.com found that up to 6 percent of all married couples has one spouse hiding money or entire accounts. While it may not seem like much, that number is higher than one in twenty, meaning it's either occurring in your marriage or with a couple that you know.
If you have observed unusual financial behavior with your spouse, or if money seems to be missing, you may want to put on your detective hat and find out if you're a victim of financial infidelity.
Do you see your spouse's mail?
Is your spouse always trying to be the one who gets the mail? Or, has your spouse forwarded all of their bank statements and credit card statements to their office?
While it isn't a crime to beat you to the mailbox, or have bills sent to one's work, sometimes these can be signs that a spouse is hiding something.
Order Both of Your Credit Reports
If you suspect that something is amiss, pull your credit reports together. You should never underestimate the value of pulling your credit reports. What's the worst that could happen? Your spouse could have applied for credit in your name, or you might be down as an authorized user.
In any case, there's nothing suspicious about suggesting that you and your spouse pull your credit reports together. However, if you encounter resistance, this could be a sign that your spouse is trying to hide something.
When Spouses Hide Money
A lot of financial infidelity involves simple withdrawals and deposits. In the situation where one partner handles most of the finances, it can be a lot easier to hide money without doing anything to hide it. Even a bank statement can reveal a lot in these cases.
If you're headed for divorce and you suspect that your spouse is hiding money, you do want to go down that path. Of course, the easiest way to inquire about missing money is to ask. If you don't get a straight answer even when you confront your spouse with hard evidence, it's time to talk to a San Fernando Valley divorce attorney about your rights.
