Fred L. Abrams, Attorney at Law can connect you with a financial investigator for divorce. One of the most challenging aspects of any divorce involves the division of assets. A financial investigator in consultation with your divorce attorney can help you navigate the financial aspects of your divorce. Dividing assets involves determining the value of the couple’s estate, evaluating which property is separate and communal property, namely determining which property is separate or was brought into the marriage. Marital property or community property, is generally property or assets acquired during the marriage. Marital property can include anything of value including real estate, investments, bank accounts, earnings, art, valuables, investments, businesses, intellectual property, and more. Separate property is property each person brought into the marriage—for instance, real estate you owned before you were married, valuables you had before you were married, or bank accounts you had before you wed. The issue with some of these is that couples may sometimes commingle bank accounts, help one another make improvements on their separate homes, may make investments in a business owned by only one person in the marriage, or may contribute to a business that one partner owns in other ways. Getting your financial picture and facts about your finances correct can make a big difference in the value of your divorce settlement, child support payments, and alimony payments. You only get one chance to get it right. A financial investigator for divorce can help you make that happen.

If you are going through a divorce and believe your spouse has hidden assets, you may want to hire a financial investigator. Even if you think assets aren’t being hidden, a financial investigator can prove essential in a high-net-worth divorce, where income may come from multiple sources and investments, and where the proper valuation of expensive property is essential to a fair divorce settlement. A financial investigator can appraise your assets and assess your spouse’s income and net worth so you can fight vigorously for the alimony, child support, and other divorce settlement payments you deserve.

An individual might hire a financial investigator even if he or she isn’t going through a high-net-worth divorce. If your former partner claims to not have enough income to pay child support, but you believe he or she does have income coming in, you may want to speak to a financial investigator who can find out what is really going on, and who may be able to help you get the child support payments you might need. Fred L. Abrams, Attorney at Law consults with financial investigators for divorce who can help you and take a close look at your unique situation.

Why Hire a Financial Investigator?

One of the most challenging aspects of a divorce is understanding what assets are considered community property, (that is, property shared by both parties), compared to property owned separately by each party. Properly assessing which property is separate and which is shared is essential to ensure that you hold on to the assets you brought into the marriage and receive a share of the assets you helped to build and create during the marriage. Furthermore, a financial investigator can properly evaluate business income, investment income, and other sources of income so that a proper assessment about child support and alimony can be made. A financial investigator can also appraise assets, property, and investments. Additionally, a financial investigator might find hidden assets by looking at: tax returns, alleged debt, shareholder statements, spending habits and much more.

If you are going through a high-net-worth divorce, a financial investigator might help you uncover hidden assets, properly identify community property, and help you determine what is separate property in the divorce. A financial investigator for divorce could also help you develop a strategy for dividing property, debts, and assets in your divorce. You only get one chance to get your divorce agreement and settlement right. Fred L. Abrams, Attorney at Law can consult with the right financial investigator for your case, and create a team of experts to help you strive for the best possible divorce settlement. 

How Can a Divorce Financial Investigator Near Me Find Hidden Assets?

There are various strategies a financial investigator can use to find hidden assets. A financial investigator can use databases, review tax forms disclosed in your divorce, and analyze real property and other public records.  Depending on the circumstances, a financial investigator could perform even deeper investigations to find hidden assets. A financial investigator may conduct a private investigation to determine whether a divorcing spouse claiming not to have income, actually has income. This could involve watching the divorcing spouse’s spending habits, placing the divorcing spouse under surveillance, or seeing whether the divorcing spouse is secretly doing business through intermediaries.

Just as there are many strategies for finding hidden assets, there are also many strategies a divorcing spouse or others might use to hide assets. Some individuals establish shell companies to hide assets or use other hidden businesses to secrete assets. In order to hide assets, a person may claim to have debts that do not exist or may even overpay their debtors so that they appear to have lower assets than they have. Another way an individual might hide assets is by spending money on valuable items like jewelry, property, or art, and then claiming that the value of these items is lower than what they are actually worth.

There are many other common methods individuals employ to hide assets. Individuals may try to reduce their net worth by making fraudulent asset transfers to “insiders” & / or by creating fake debt like sham loans. Additionally, individuals can hide money offshore in countries with strong bank secrecy laws. One example is when one divorcing spouse hides money from the other, by parking the money at a Swiss bank or at another offshore bank account.

A forensic accountant might also look closely at your former partner’s other investments and assets that are often overlooked.  These include pension benefits, an employer’s deferred compensation arrangements, safety deposit boxes, stocks, insurance policies and more. If your former partner runs his or her own business, a forensic accountant can take a close look at the books to make sure earnings aren’t being underreported. This can include looking at shareholder statements, documentation your partner may have submitted to obtain business loans, or other business records.

Fred L. Abrams, Attorney at Law is a lawyer who puts together a strong team of experts to help his clients with their divorce cases. This team may include a financial investigator and a forensic accountant that can look closely at your former partner’s entire financial picture and help you understand your rights and options. Contact Fred L. Abrams, Attorney at Law, near you today to learn more. Attorney Fred L. Abrams can help you get connected with a financial investigator and others that may be able to assist you. 

How Are Assets Hidden During a Divorce? 

An Asset Search For Tax FraudThere are many ways that assets might be hidden during a divorce. If you are going through a high-net-worth divorce, it is important to understand that your former spouse may have many tools at his or her disposal to hide assets. What are some ways that your former spouse may be able to hide assets? Here are a few:

  • Establishing a “fake trust” to hide property with the help of an offshore lawyer.
  • Using fake loans where a person claims he or she owes money to a family member or friend, when in fact, he or she doesn’t owe this money.
  • Giving money to friends, family, or other people with the expectation that the money will be returned after the divorce.
  • Using offshore bank accounts maintained in the Cayman Islands, Swiss Banks, or other institutions to hide money.
  • Buying valuable property like jewelry, art, cars, yachts, real estate, and then underreporting the value of this property.
  • Forming shell companies, LLCs, or other business entities offshore, to hide money and assets.
  • Smuggling or laundering money to hide cash assets.
  • Undervaluing income from a business and the value of various assets.

Fred L. Abrams, Attorney at Law works with financial investigators.   This may help you find hidden assets so you can strive for the best divorce settlement in your situation. If you believe your former spouse is hiding assets, you may need the sophisticated tools and strategies of a financial investigator for divorce near you. Contact Fred L. Abrams, Attorney at Law today.

Why It Is Important to Hire a Financial Investigator for Divorce

 If you suspect that your spouse is hiding assets, you may be tempted to do a little investigating of your own. But before you do this, you may want to stop and consider whether it might be better if a financial investigator for divorce performs these services for you. Why? Any information you obtain illegally about your spouse’s assets may not be admissible in court. While it might be tempting to “use any means necessary” to get information, this strategy could backfire. A financial investigator near you can use legal strategies and tools to uncover hidden assets, properly valuate your spouse’s income and assets, so you may receive the divorce settlement and alimony you deserve. Hiring a lawyer who understands the importance of the evidence-gathering process, can make a big difference in the outcome of your case. Contact Attorney Fred L. Abrams today, so he can recommend the best financial investigator for your particular divorce.