Like it or not, if you’re getting a divorce, there’s a chance your spouse isn’t being honest about their assets. Most couples don’t just wake up one morning and decide their marriage is over. It usually takes months, even years, before you decide it’s time to call a divorce lawyer in Houston.
In the time leading up to your divorce, your spouse may start taking steps to move or hide assets. It’s no secret that, when you get a divorce, you have to split up your assets. You also have to share your debts.
Some people start preparing for their divorce a lot sooner than you may think. You may think you know your spouse. But, when it comes to money, people don’t always do the right thing. Many spouses try to protect their assets so that they don’t get split up in the divorce decree.
If you have a feeling your spouse may be doing this, you need to talk to a Houston divorce attorney right away. You may not have much proof to show that your spouse is doing this. However, there are ways to detect that your spouse is hiding assets. Social media is one of the latest ways that your divorce lawyer in Houston can prove this.
How Can Your Spouse Hide or Transfer Assets Without You Knowing?
You’d be surprised how many people are completely oblivious to their spouse’s assets. Sure, you know if you they have a house. Your name is probably on the deed with them. You should have an idea of what your house is worth too.
Your spouse may have some assets that you don’t know about. Do you know how much your husband’s 401K is worth? Do you know if they’ve purchased any stocks in the last few years? Probably not.
We make decisions all the time and don’t tell our spouse about it. Your company may change investment companies. Your spouse may move a portion of their investments or retirement accounts without telling you. You really have no way of knowing.
In the months leading up to a divorce, people can do all sorts of things to hide and transfer assets. Some of these things include:
- Transferring the deed to rental or investment properties to family members
- Assigning a greater percentage of their business to a partner or investor
- Siphoning cash out of their bank account little by little
- Moving assets off-shore without telling their spouse
- Investing in the stock market without letting their spouse know
- Changing the beneficiary on their insurance policies or annuities
These things happen all the time in divorce cases. If you have no way of knowing what assets your spouse has, you won’t know if they move them.
How Can Social Media Help?
Years ago, people could get away with a lot of these things without getting caught. And, they still can. However, sometimes there are clues on social media. You just have to know where to look and what to look for.
The good news is that your Houston divorce attorney knows what to look for. They have spent years tracing people’s assets and detecting when they’re trying to hide or transfer assets.
Here are some examples of what you may find on social media:
- You see your spouse’s car, boat or other personal property listed for sale on a local Facebook site
- You see an ad on Craigslist where your spouse’s property (or your joint property) is listed for sale
- One of your friends on Facebook posted a picture or comment about something they’ve purchased from your spouse
- You start seeing popup ads from strange places on your spouse’s Facebook page
Anything you see on social media can now be used as evidence in your divorce case. Your attorney can have someone authenticate the post or comments and include it in your case. This is happening more and more as we become more dependent on social media.
Contact a Divorce Lawyer in Houston, Texas
If you think your spouse may be trying to hide or transfer assets, you need to contact a divorce lawyer in Houston, Texas right away. Even if you haven’t decided to file for divorce, your spouse may have. You need to protect yourself either way.
Call Eddington & Worley today and schedule your initial consultation with an experienced divorce attorney in Houston. The longer you wait, the longer you’ll allow your spouse to cheat you out of assets.