Are you headed for divorce? If you have plans to get a divorce, the answer is obviously “yes.” But if you don’t, you may still feel uneasy about the marriage without knowing why. Your spouse’s behaviors and attitudes seem to be changing, but to what end?
In cases where one spouse initiates the divorce rather suddenly, the other spouse is often left feeling blindsided. In hindsight, however, they are able to interpret signs they had previously overlooked or dismissed. The telltale signs can be behavioral, emotional, financial or some combination of the three.
In this week’s posts, we’ll discuss some financial signs that commonly indicate one spouse’s intentions to divorce. These were first shared in a recent TIME column by a divorce financial planner named Lili A. Vasileff.
Vasileff notes that it could be a red flag if your spouse suddenly becomes very concerned about money for no obvious reason. He or she may:
- Become critical of your spending and demand that you set a budget and keep receipts
- Frequently start arguments about money
- Take out loans without discussing them with you and without telling you what they’re for
If your spouse’s spending and saving habits change dramatically, this could also be a red flag. He or she may:
- Stop direct deposits from going into a joint account
- Make large cash withdrawals from the bank or ATM
- Start going on more “business trips” with higher expenses for entertainment and travel
- Be unable to explain why there seems to be money missing from joint accounts
- Lavish you with gifts and vacations (if this is not how they normally behave)
Any of these behaviors could be innocent on their own. Taken together, however, there may be reason for concern. Please check back later this week as we continue our discussion.
Source: TIME, “11 Financial Clues That Your Spouse Wants a Divorce,” Lili A. Vasileff, March 19, 2015
