Financial dishonesty within a relationship is often referred to as a form of infidelity. It could mean that your spouse is being deceitful about their spending habits or that they are directly lying to you. This can create significant trust issues within a relationship, so financial infidelity can often lead to a divorce.
If you are concerned that your soon-to-be ex has engaged in financial infidelity, it is very important to consider what it means for the property division process during divorce. You and your spouse both have a right to certain shared marital assets. You are going to be required to disclose those assets. If you are not sure that your spouse has been honest, it may be important to look for hidden assets.
2 potential issues
First, your spouse may have intentionally been trying to hide assets from you. Perhaps they transferred a significant amount of money to a family member. They claim that they were repaying an old debt, but the truth is that their relative has agreed to give them the money back after you finalize your divorce.
Another potential issue can be dissipation of marital assets, which is when a spouse spends money prior to the divorce with the goal of having less to divide. Maybe they have been lying about how they were using money because they are wasting marital funds. Money that you believed was being saved for retirement and should be split between the two of you, for example, may have been spent on frivolous purchases in the months before your divorce, meaning there is less left to divide.
These issues can have a significant impact on property division. You need to be aware of your legal rights, and you need to know what steps to take to defend your right to the property that you deserve. Having experienced legal guidance can help you find evidence of hidden assets or dissipation and work toward a fair settlement
