Going through a divorce is seldom easy. After all, not only must you decide how to divide marital assets, but you must also deal with a variety of emotions. You should, however, be able to count on receiving your fair share of marital wealth.
Florida divorce law requires spouses to equitably divide marital property as part of the dissolution of their marriage unless there is a valid reason not to do so. Of course, you can only advocate for an equal share of marital property if you know it exists. Unfortunately, in the lead-up to a divorce, unscrupulous spouses sometimes hide assets. If your soon-to-be ex-spouse exhibits any of the following personality traits, you may have to worry about hidden marital property:
Control
Spouses regularly divide marital responsibilities to make handling them easier. Still, if your spouse has an obsession with keeping control over finances or other matters, you may not have a complete picture of your marital wealth.
Deceit
As you likely know, sometimes individuals have difficulty telling the truth. If your partner regularly withholds information or outright lies to you, you may need to investigate whether he or she is hiding marital assets from you. Further, if your spouse is having an affair, he or she may not be forthcoming about all the wealth you have as a couple.
Arrogance
Divorces are official proceedings that involve both you and government officials. If your partner hides assets from you, there is a good chance a judge or attorney will eventually discover the deception. Of course, arrogance may cause your spouse to believe he or she can get away with misleading both you and the court.
Divorcing spouses often want to get a head start on their financial futures. Still, Florida law entitles you to receive your fair share of marital property. If your spouse has personality traits that encourage him or her to hide assets, you may need to do additional work to obtain what is rightfully yours.
