Susan and Jim have been married for 25 years. The kids are now grown, and out of college, and Susan thought that this would be a new era for their relationship. Without the responsibilities of college debt, and the children, Susan was looking forward to traveling with Jim and enjoying socializing with him. Maybe they can finally make friends together, outside of the “parents of our children’s friends”…maybe they can join a country club and learn to play tennis. So many new things to explore now, the possibilities were endless and exciting.
Jim has a great job. He owns his own company, which includes car washes and video game sites. A lot of cash runs through his company, and he and Susan have been living very well.
But the Summer is about to begin, and instead of booking an exciting trip, or joining a club, Jim sits down at dinner with Susan and announces that, now that the children are grown…he wants out. Not out of parenting, mind you…but out of the marriage. “Don’t worry”, Jim says. “ I’ll help cover the cost of maintaining the house for a year or two, but we have to sell it. You can live on ½ the proceeds of the house, so you won’t need any spousal support. “ [a ridiculous offer, by the way] Then, Jim gets up from the table and leaves. Susan hears the garage door open, the car roar out, and then the deafening silence after the garage door closes. She is still sitting at the table. Alone, and in shock.
Waking up in the morning, she feels somewhat rested, and confused. Was this a dream? But she looks at the pillow to her right, and realizes that Jim never came back home. This was real. She calls her best friend, Jane. Jane listens quietly, then tells Susan she is coming right over. She makes an appointment with a very good divorce attorney whose office is right by the courthouse. She picks Susan up, and whisks her to the divorce attorney’s office.
Once she is seated in the office, the attorney gives her some homework…which includes pulling all of the bank accounts and investment account statements that she can locate within the house. Susan is confident that she can locate them, and is also confident that even though she never maintained any of the finances of the family, that she and Jim had amassed at least 2-3 million dollars.
Once home, Susan and Jane delve through the paperwork in Jim’s home office, and find recent statements. What??? Adding up all of the investments AND the bank accounts, Susan and Jim have only about $45,000 ??? Where’s the money??? Jim and Susan live in a $750,000 home. They have paid for college education for the children and never had to take any loan out. How is this possible?
Susan makes another appointment to meet with the attorney. The divorce is filed. And the hunt begins.
A good attorney can get to the bottom of the “missing” money. Tax returns (and the schedules!), bank statements, credit card statements…these carry a wealth of information for your divorce attorney.
The divorce attorneys at Joseph & Joseph & Hanna, Co. LPA have the experience to obtain the information that you need to obtain a FAIR settlement or court order so that you can maintain financial security in the years ahead, and look forward to meeting with you.
Also check out some of our more indepth Articles
The Dating Parent: When Is Morality A Custody or Visitation Issue?