If you and your spouse are a high-asset couple contemplating a Georgia divorce, you may suspect that (s)he is hiding or attempting to hide marital assets from you in order to keep these assets out of your property settlement negotiations. Unfortunately, asset hiding, a form of illegal financial fraud, is not all that uncommon.
Also unfortunate is the fact that may ways exist for your spouse to hide assets from you if (s)he is so inclined. Often these assets are very difficult if not impossible for you to find yourself and you and your attorney may wish to engage the services of a forensic accountant to discover and track them.
Forensic accountant qualifications
Be aware that not all accountants are forensic accountants. Only an accountant with specialized advanced education and training can hold himself or herself out to be a true forensic accountant. Consequently as you and your attorney search for a forensic accountant to join your legal team, look for one who possesses the following abilities:
- To determine, analyze and track your spouse’s cash flow
- To find and analyze any inconsistencies among his or her complex financial documents
- To establish the value of his or her business and real estate interests
- To determine the value of all your marital property, plus the value of your and your spouse’s respective nonmarital property
- To understand and calculate the tax implications of any property division that you contemplate
Expert witness
In addition to his or her investigatory and financial skills, your forensic accountant should also have the ability to act as your expert witness in court, explaining difficult and complex financial concepts and calculations to lay people, including the judge and possible jury.
Discovering and tracking hidden assets are no small tasks. The money you invest in a forensic accountant may be the best money you ever spent when it comes to your post-divorce financial security
