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Now You See Them, Now You Don’t: Is Your Spouse Hiding Assets?

When you look toward the future after your divorce, you may be a little worried about certain things. For instance, you’re probably more than a little concerned about how your children will fare, especially if they’ve always had a very close relationship with their other parent. You may worry whether living in separate households will cause them undue stress. Also, if you’ve been out of the Kansas workforce for some time, you may also be anxious about your finances; hopefully, the assets and property division will help with that.

You may already be aware that this is not a community property state, which means the court does not have to (and probably won’t) divide your marital property 50/50 in divorce. It can be quite challenging trying to make sure you get your fair share of assets, especially if you think your former partner is trying to deceive you (and the court) so you can’t get your hands on what’s rightfully yours.

Why and how people hide assets

The day you said, “I do” when a minister or magistrate joined you to your spouse in marriage, you likely would never have imagined you’d one day be fighting over who owns what and who gets to keep what in court—life changes. Things happen, and here you are. If you understand some of the following common motives behind asset-hiding behaviors and know how to recognize signs of trouble, you may be able to avoid a lot of problems:

  • Some people want their expenses to appear higher than they are. In divorce, this is often a tactic to avoid paying child support or alimony.
  • A spouse acting underhandedly may try to undervalue a particular asset, say a painting or art collection, a jewel, or even a business, so the court does not know how much-said item is truly worth.
  • Sometimes, a person will suddenly grant loans to friends or appear to pay back debts when, in fact, he or she is simply stashing cash with someone on hold until the court finalizes the divorce.

If you suddenly notice bank statements that include an account you didn’t know existed, it may be cause for concern as well, especially if monies from your joint account go missing.

It’s understandable that you merely want all to which you are entitled so you can move forward toward a new, successful life with your children. Divorce is challenging enough emotionally and financially without having to worry that your former spouse is trying to rip you off in court. Many Kansas residents reach out for support from those who can help investigate and do something about such matters rather than try to resolve such issues on their own.

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