When could a forensic accountant help in a divorce case?

Nowadays, divorces range broadly in terms of complexity, with some proving far more complicated and drawn-out than others. For example, young couples only married for a short time may not have much to work through. However, older couples who have considerable assets or particularly complex finances may find that dividing them up can prove timely and difficult.

If your divorce falls into the latter category, you may have reason to consider adding a forensic accountant to your divorce team. The job of a forensic accountant is to delve deeply into you and your soon-to-be-former spouse’s finances to make sure you receive your fair share once your divorce finales. So, when may you want to consider adding a forensic accountant to your divorce team?

When you do not trust your one-time partner

Often, married couple divorce because they no longer trust one another in the manner they once did. Maybe this means you have concerns about your spouse hiding assets from you, or maybe you suspect he or she is being untruthful about income, business profits or what have you. A forensic accountant can typically help you determine whether your spouse is being upfront with you about finances.

When your financial portfolio is highly complicated

Some types of assets can be more difficult to split or divide than others. For example, if you or your spouse has a valuable collection of, say, art or antique cars, a forensic accountant may be able to help you with matters such as assessing their value. A forensic accountant may be especially helpful if one party in the marriage has assets in other states or nations.

While these are two primary reasons many modern couples hire forensic accountants to help them with divorce cases, these professionals can also assist those going through a divorce with numerous other related efforts.