For many women seeking divorce, one of their top goals is an equitable division of assets. Texas is a community property state, which means all real estate, investments, and savings acquired during a marriage are to be split fairly between ex-spouses. But what if a spouse has been concealing cash or other assets? It happens more often than you might think. Hidden marital assets quickly become a headache when seeking a fair and just divorce settlement.
Here’s how an unscrupulous soon-to-be ex may conceal property that should be split equitably — and how to unearth it for the divorce proceedings.
What are hidden assets and how do spouses hide property?
In decades past, hiding marital assets was as simple as burying cash in the backyard. Today, it includes checking or credit accounts unknown to one’s spouse. A 2025 Bankrate survey found that 17 percent of Americans had a secret credit card and 15 percent had savings they kept from their spouse.
But now, with so many ways to invest and transfer funds, people can get alarmingly creative in how they hide assets from their spouse.
Hidden assets can include:
- Cash
- Balances on payment apps such as Venmo and CashApp
- Cryptocurrency
- Bank accounts in the names of kids, friends, family or paramours
- High-value jewelry, art, or collectibles
- Nuanced employment compensation benefits
- Businesses
- Loans to friends or family
In the movie The Other Woman, the protagonist learns that her husband has been opening accounts and even businesses in her name without her knowledge. He effectively concealed his wealth and threw authorities off his track — for a while.
This method appears in many real-life cases of financial infidelity. When it’s time give financial disclosures for divorce proceedings, the unaware spouse is shocked to discover these fraudulent accounts. Worse, their case could be harmed because it appears they’re the ones hiding assets rather than their ex.
Opening accounts in the spouse’s or kids’ names without their knowledge is a sort of financial shell game — moving funds around while directing attention to more recognizable assets, e.g. joint bank accounts.
Another type of financial misdirection is to send money to “temporary” locations so that it can be returned after the divorce. Thus, money-manipulating spouses can also hide marital assets by:
- Overpaying the IRS to get a large refund later
- Sending money to friends or family to repay a fake loan
- Adding funds to gift cards or payment apps that their spouse can’t easily notice or track
Even if the spouse wasn’t hiding assets during the marriage, they may attempt to make their financial picture look worse in anticipation of having to pay alimony, spousal maintenance, or child support.
If the ex’s goal is to make themselves seem cash-poor or financially unstable, they may mislead the court about their employment type or income. For example, they could switch from being a W-2 employee to a contractor, then claim they’re unemployed. Contractors can be paid under the table, making it even easier to conceal income.
Despite all these methods to hide community property, the truth tends to come out during divorce proceedings. Even before seeking divorce, women can identify possible financial infidelity and get proactive to protect their future. It’s critical to know the red flags.
What are the signs a spouse is hiding marital assets?
Insisting they’ve got it covered and their spouse doesn’t need to know financial details
Secretive behavior is obviously a major red flag, but many abusers aren’t so overt about it. Instead, pay attention to concealment that’s disguised as benevolence. The spouse may say things like,
“You don’t need to worry about our money situation, I take care of all that.”
“Don’t worry, I got our finances covered.”
It’s okay for one spouse to handle financial logistics, bill-paying, and so on. But both spouses should be transparent about where the assets live and how they’re funded/managed/transferred. If you never get to see the tax forms or bank statements, that’s a red flag.
Getting mail from unfamiliar financial institutions
The occasional strange letter may be an unsolicited credit offer or other junk mail. But if you’re consistently seeing official letters from banks or creditors you don’t recognize, it could be a sign your spouse has opened accounts with them.
Reporting a decreased income but not changing their spending level
It’s hard to break spending habits, so if your spouse is used to fine dining or expensive hobbies, they’ll likely keep pursuing those as long as they can afford it. Be wary if they say they lost their job or their investments tanked, yet make no changes to their daily spending.
Making large cash withdrawals from joint accounts
This may seem like an obvious red flag, but many unscrupulous spouses pretend it’s innocuous. “Oh, I withdrew some cash so we can buy that new couch/send holiday cards to our family/replenish our piggy bank.” But if you notice regular withdrawals and realize the cash never surfaced again, it’s likely your spouse is socking it away.
Unfortunately, women who want to leave their partner often find themselves on the other side of the coin. Withdrawing cash to prepare for divorce can backfire. Always consult with a family law attorney in conjunction with a financial professional before making that move.
Read our previous blog, “Hidden Assets and Divorce: 6 Red Flags to Watch Out For.”
What if there AREN’T hidden assets?
Believe it or not, it happens. People lie that they have tons of money socked away, and their spouse who’s seeking divorce can’t find it. In some cases, that was a ruse, perhaps to keep the spouse under their thumb. This is still a kind of financial infidelity. It highlights the importance of gathering evidence legally and consistently, then trusting your team of experts to help you get a fair settlement.
How does one find hidden assets during a divorce?
Uncovered hidden marital assets is crucial to getting a fair divorce settlement. But there is a caveat before we dive into the asset discovery process.
We are essentially talking about financial infidelity, i.e. deceiving your spouse about money. It may coincide with financial abuse, which typically involves manipulating a person by restricting their access to money.
However, people can be financially abusive without hiding assets. They overtly control all the accounts, use money as a weapon, and deprive their spouse of financial agency.
Hiding assets also constitutes financial infidelity, though. At the end of the day, what matters is that all assets must be on the table to process a divorce with equitable division of property.
So, how do you find hidden assets? It’s critical to apply nuance here as well: there’s a difference between identifying potential hidden assets on your own (whether you’re considering divorce or not) and actually locating them as part of the divorce process.
Independent financial evidence-gathering
If you suspect your spouse is hiding assets, start documenting everything you can: bank account statements, credit card statements, Venmo or CashApp transactions from your joint accounts, tax returns, etc. Keep a log of major cash withdrawals and any spending that seems out of the ordinary. Take note of any suspicious mail, such as letters from unknown financial institutions. However, keep in mind that it’s still not okay to open your spouse’s mail.
SAFETY FIRST! Financial abuse often coincides with other types of abuse (link to PDF). Too often, uncovering evidence or even broaching the topic will anger a potentially violent spouse. If a spouse has shown violent tendencies, have an exit plan for any financial conversations or activities such as taking pictures of documents. Remember, the primary account holder may get notified when secondary holder requests copies of statements or otherwise takes action. Here is a list of domestic violence resources for Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas.
Formal discovery of financial assets
After you’ve filed for divorce, both spouses’ legal teams can officially gather and share evidence about each party’s finances. As this process has the force of law, it is better equipped to reveal hidden assets without jeopardizing one’s case. In other words, someone who DIYs their evidence-gathering may inadvertently break laws, making it harder to validate their claims of financial infidelity. The goal is always to present a cohesive, well-substantiated case so that you can get the fair and just divorce settlement you deserve.
Here’s what happens in a formal discovery process:
Interrogatories: Under oath, spouses answer specific questions about their accounts, real estate, business ownership, investments, and all sources of income.
Depositions: As with interrogatories, the spouse responds to questions under oath, but orally and possibly in the presence of a third party. The other spouse may also respond or ask follow-up questions.
Request for Production of Documents: One party’s legal team formally requests account statements, property deeds, business profit-and-loss statements, and other financial records from the other spouse.
Subpoenas: This is also a formal request for documents but from the spouse’s employer, bank, business partner, etc. Subpoenas can also force the third party to give live testimony in court.
What if you haven’t yet filed and want something in-between the DIY approach and the formal discovery process? That’s where specialists such as forensic accountants and private investigators come in.
A forensic accountant:
- traces funds
- calculates historical income (to measure against claims of current worth)
- identifies discrepancies
- serves as an expert witness
- technically doesn’t identify hidden assets but can provide details to point out where they may be
- validates/corroborates PI findings
A private investigator:
- tracks down physical assets (e.g. vehicles, collectibles)
- identifies undisclosed real estate
- talks to people who might know about hidden assets
What happens if my spouse was hiding assets?
Let’s say the investigations were successful and you’ve shown the court that your soon-to-be ex was hiding cash, real estate holdings, or other community property. What does this mean for you?
Because the Texas family court strives for equitable distribution of community property, they may penalize a spouse who hid assets or misled the court. The wronged spouse may be awarded a larger share. In some cases, they get 100% of the hidden asset’s value. Moreover, the dishonest spouse may be forced to pay the costs of the forensic accountants or private investigators used to uncover the assets.
And as with any court proceedings, withholding evidence or lying under oath is considered perjury. This carries its own repercussions, which is why the divorce process’ legal force can help bring things to light that would otherwise stay hidden.
However, we know that many women don’t want to go to court to get divorced. It can be a stressful, long process. If you suspect your soon-to-be ex is hiding assets but want an alternative to a contested divorce, reach out to Alexandra Geczi Family Law. We take a minimal-conflict approach to divorce, partnering with other experts to help you make a strong case.