Financial infidelity essentially means that there has been some level of dishonesty in a relationship, where couples are not being truthful about expenditures, earnings and other financial issues.
For instance, maybe your spouse got a raise at work, but they did not tell you and simply began stashing the money aside in a secret account. Or maybe they said they were spending money on necessities, when you found they were actually using that money to finance a gambling addiction. Perhaps they have been making transfers out of your shared financial accounts without telling you, putting the money into their own accounts.
The impact on a divorce
In some cases, financial infidelity can be the issue that leads to a divorce. It breaks down trust between two individuals. If you find out that your spouse has been lying about how they are using shared funds, you may find it hard to trust them moving forward. This undermines your relationship and could mean that you decide to seek a divorce.
If you do, financial infidelity can become very important when addressing property division. You and your spouse are both required to make financial disclosures to the court. But do you know if your spouse is being honest about the assets that they own? Or have they been secretly setting aside marital funds, and are they now lying to the court to keep from splitting those funds with you?
Finally, financial infidelity is sometimes connected to other issues. A person may lie about their spending to cover up an extramarital affair, for instance, because they are spending money to visit their new partner.
Your legal options
You can see how financial infidelity can harm a relationship and affect the divorce process. You must know what legal options you have to protect your right to marital property.
