Sometimes, however, couples who exchange financial statements when they begin negotiations about property division find an unpleasant surprise when the assets they know the other party has are not there on the statement.

If the statement does not reveal that one of the spouses makes the amount of money that it would have taken to support the couple’s former lifestyle, the other spouse may suspect that the other party is hiding money somewhere. Generally, that money has been hidden earlier as part of the other party’s tax strategy, rather than as a plan to hide it from her or his spouse.

In a divorce settlement, though, it is essential that all of the assets owned by both spouses are disclosed. To find the hidden money, the first place to look should be the other party’s business. That is the most common place that assets are stashed.

One partner in a marriage, for instance, stated that his income was only $100,000, even though he spent that much alone on just his entertainment budget. Another spouse listed his income as only $500,000, even though he had just spent three times that amount on updates for their family’s home. When these sorts of discrepancies come up during property division negotiations, it is time to start looking for the missing cash.

Being aware that there are assets missing from the disclosure is only the beginning, however. The other party needs to be able to prove it. Often, only a threat to call the IRS will nudge the non-disclosing party into coming clean with her or his income so that an equitable settlement can be created without notifying Florida courts about the discrepancy. Other times, though, a party may need to hire a private investigator or even a forensic accountant in order to locate the missing assets to enable the negotiations to produce a settlement that is fair to both parties.