Money, power, and divorce are deeply intertwined for many of our family law clients. This theory holds strong because financial control is often used as leverage during the breakdown of a marriage.

The complex relationship between these profound emotional experiences often makes the legal process feel like a battleground. Our family law attorneys can help protect you from the financial manipulation that transforms so many divorces into intense conflicts.

Start by Documenting and Protecting Your Assets in a Contentious Divorce

Protecting yourself from financial manipulation in a New Jersey divorce begins with immediately documenting and protecting your assets. Start by creating a record of all of your finances, including tax returns, paystubs, joint and individual bank account statements, investment records, and property deeds.

Consider establishing a new and separate bank account in your name only to secure your personal funds. The goal here is to begin to establish financial independence, not to hide assets. You must ensure complete transparency to avoid adverse consequences like court-imposed sanctions. You can fund the new account solely with income you earn after filing for divorce to clearly distinguish it from marital property. Importantly, however, discuss doing this with your attorney first to ensure that you are not later accused of disrupting the financial status quo by failing to cover your share of household expenses as you normally would during the marriage.

What Do Debts Have to Do With Protecting Yourself in a Divorce?

While your first instinct is to protect your assets from unfair distribution, you and your spouse’s debts are also important factors in money, power, and divorce struggles. In New Jersey, debts are central to divorce proceedings because of equitable distribution laws. Generally, both spouses are responsible for debts acquired during the marriage, even if only one name is listed on the account.

Identifying all debt, dividing it fairly, and preventing creditors from pursuing you for a spouse’s bills is vital. Check your credit report to identify all existing debts.

Legal and Professional Safeguards to Prevent Financial Manipulation

To prevent financial manipulation in a New Jersey divorce, we recommend you take advantage of several safeguards, including filing a comprehensive Case Information Statement (CIS) to document all assets and debts. Our family law attorneys can help you obtain court-ordered financial restraints to prevent your spouse from selling, gifting, or hiding marital assets during the divorce process.

We also have the ability to issue subpoenas to banks, employers, and business partners to uncover hidden assets. If necessary, a specialized forensic accountant can trace funds and uncover hidden income or assets, especially if your spouse is self-employed or historically controlled the family’s finances.

Let Us Help You Protect Yourself from Financial Manipulation

Unfortunately, for many New Jersey couples, money, power, and divorce go hand in hand. This is why you need a strong voice to represent you and a guiding hand to lead you through the process. Call us to schedule your case evaluation and find out how our skilled legal team could help you protect yourself from financial manipulation before, during, and after your divorce.