You’re looking over your bank statements for the last year, and you notice something strange. Every time your spouse went to the grocery store, they got cash back with their purchases. They usually took $40 or $60, and it just got lumped in with the rest of the transaction.
Cash back in itself is not strange, but it stands out to you because they never told you they were doing this. You had no idea they were putting this money inside. What does it mean? Could it mean that they’re planning to ask for a divorce?
This is a tactic to hide assets
There certainly may be a reasonable explanation for this, but it’s important to note that this is one of the most common ways that people attempt to hide assets from their spouses. They know that the cash back isn’t going to be noticed right away, and they hope that it will never be noticed at all. But they set that money aside in a safe place, which could simply be a hiding spot at the house or a safe deposit box. Maybe they even have their own bank account where they’re putting the money without your knowledge.
They’ve been doing it for such a long time because they’re trying to keep you from getting a percentage of that money. The more they can set aside, the more they can keep out of the divorce so that it won’t get split up during property division.
What should you do?
Lying about assets is illegal during divorce, but it does happen. If you notice something like this going on, and it does end up leading to the end of your marriage, make sure you know about all the legal steps you can take to protect your future.