You’ve decided that obtaining a divorce is in your best interests and those of your family. You’re confident that you and your spouse will be able to reach an agreement on child custody. What you are concerned about is finances.

Your spouse has made some troubling statements such as “you’re not entitled to anything”. According to the law, this simply is not true. North Carolina operates on the basis of equitable distribution, which means that both spouses are indeed entitled to their fair share of marital assets.

It doesn’t seem like your spouse is willing to go along with this and you suspect that they are trying to hide assets. How can you tell when this is the case?

Are items missing from the house?

You and your spouse both had a keen interest in fine art and you collated numerous items over the years. These items have both significant financial value as well as a certain sentimental value. You collected them together, with a joint effort and financial investment. But now, they are gone. Where have they gone and for what reason?

Why can’t you access shared accounts?

You and your spouse were a team at one point, and you made all significant financial purchases together. You both had access to checking and savings accounts. Now that you’re divorcing, this has all changed. You’ve been locked out of your accounts through password changes. This isn’t right and it’s a sign that your spouse might be attempting to divert funds and hide assets.

You are entitled to a fair share in the divorce settlement. As soon as you suspect that assets are being concealed, empowering yourself legally is prudent.