Not all divorces are amicable with both parties cooperating fairly and it can sometimes be the case that a spouse might deploy some underhand or dishonest tactics in order to try and gain an unfair advantage.
One of those tactics that are near the top of the list of questionable tactics is hiding money during a divorce, which is a compelling reason in its own right to get professional representation to fight your corner and get a fair result at the end of the divorce proceedings.
Finances are often a sticking point
One of the top reasons why couples decide to get divorced is the prickly subject of money so it stands to reason that there might be some underhand tactics being used by a spouse when it comes to adding up all the numbers as part of the settlement process.
It is a fairly common scenario where one partner has control over the purse strings and that means the other one has very little idea of exactly how much is in the bank and where any savings or investments are held.
A spouse might try to take advantage of this scenario and either attempt to deny access to information or even blatantly lie about how much there really is stashed away somewhere.
Slowing things down
When it has been decided that divorce is the best option it is likely to be beneficial to both parties to try and sort out a settlement as quickly as possible so that everyone can move on with a new chapter in their life.
However, a devious spouse might try to drag things out in order to put pressure on their partner to agree a settlement that is not as good as it could be.
If one partner doesn’t have much access to their own financial resources it can make life difficult when money is not available as it was during the marriage. Delaying the divorce process could be used as a tactic to gain an unfair advantage by squeezing the partner from a financial perspective.
Too hasty to sort things out
There is also a possibility that an underhand spouse might try to sort things out and agree on a divorce settlement far too quickly, in the hope that certain information or assets might not be revealed.
It might be a genuine attempt to move on as quickly as possible but being too hasty can sometimes be a sign that a spouse is hiding something they don’t want to revealed during the divorce proceedings.
If a pot of money is not declared and doesn’t form part of the settlement that would be unfair to the partner who has missed out on what they are entitled to.
The reality is that not everyone plays by the rules when it is time to split assets and sort out a fair divorce settlement, which is precisely why it makes sense to look out for the potential warning signs and get some professional guidance from someone who knows what to look for if someone is not playing fair.
