Don’t let your spouse waste the marital assets

 Posted on October 31, 2019 in Divorce

You may think you know your spouse pretty well, but all bets go out the window when a divorce is on the horizon. Anger, jealousy, spite or flat-out greed can make people do unexpected things.

Embittered spouses who know a divorce is coming have been known to wipe out the joint savings account or blow up the joint credit cards in any number of ways, including:

• Luxury purchases, including expensive new cars or boats
• Lavish gifts or support for a new romantic partner
• Expensive elective surgery designed to make themselves more attractive
• Extensive renovations on a home or building that is their personal property
• Buying an entire household worth of new furniture and other items for use after the divorce is over
• Buying entire new wardrobes, including expensive jewelry
• Gambling or high-risk investment schemes

Sometimes, their actions are merely thoughtless or compulsive. Other times, their spending is a deliberate attempt to waste the marital assets. The goal, in other words, may simply be to squander the money willy-nilly and deprive you of as much of your fair share of the joint assets as possible — while also sticking you with as much debt as they can.

The dissipation of marital assets is a serious concern for anyone who believes that their divorce may become contentious. Fortunately, you can prevent this without a little foresight. When there are immediate, pressing concerns about your spouse’s spending or other financial “dirty tricks,” it is often possible to get a temporary order or injunction that will prevent your spouse from wiping out your assets until the court has a chance to make some decisions.

If you’re worried about your spouse’s spending during this troubled time and want to preserve your right to a fair share of the marital assets, talk to one of our attorneys about your case today.