Whether or not your marriage has hit troubled waters and divorce may be on your horizon, you should always be aware of your financial situation. Even if your marriage is not in trouble now, it might be someday, and your spouse may try to hide assets to muddy the waters to his or her advantage.
A spouse who is hiding assets may be very subtle about it. However, Forbes describes some suspicious signs that you should watch for and pay attention to if you see them.
- Noncooperation
Does your spouse deflect your questions in regard to finances or simply refuse to answer? If so, you may want to look into the matter independently. Your spouse’s resistance could indicate that he or she has something to hide.
- Oversights
If your spouse neglects to tell you something important about your finances once in a while, it may not be cause for concern. However, if such failures are frequent, your spouse may be failing to provide financial information on purpose.
- Unusual activity
Once in a while, a circumstance arises that warrants an unusual transaction. However, keep a careful watch on frequent money movements or investment changes.
- Abnormal expenses
The cost of living can vary from community to community but less so from home to home. If you are paying more on rent, utilities and other expenses than your friends and neighbors are, you might want to look closely into where that money is really going.
Vigilance is not the same thing as paranoia. Be on the lookout for anomalies, but do not jump to any conclusions until you have conducted sufficient research to discover their cause.