There are four widely recognized methods of calculating income in family law cases. These four methods have been developed for use by the Internal Revenue Service in calculating unreported income in tax cases, and are the primary ways a lifestyle analysis can be completed.

Specific Items Method
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Financial documents are at the heart of divorces. Regardless of how contentious or amicable a divorce is, the finances of the spouses will need to be separated, and financial documents are required to make the division. Whether the information sought is current or historical, unaltered documents...

Businesses that deal heavily in cash transactions are often difficult to manage in the divorce setting. The reality is that many restaurants and other cash-intensive businesses intentionally under-report earnings on their tax returns. The owners consider the cash to be "free money" that they...

Everyone knows about the typical sources of financial information in divorces. Income tax returns, bank statements and related documents, brokerage statements, credit card statements, and business financial statements are some of the most common.

There are alternative sources of financial...

While consumers generally hate income tax returns because of their complexity, they can be invaluable sources of information in divorce proceedings. Not only do they provide insight into prior years’ earnings, they can also point to assets and sources of income. They may be used to unearth...

Potential clients in the process of divorce often contact me because they are concerned about hidden assets. Often the spouse had a history of financial dishonesty throughout the marriage, or his or her behavior became suspicious around the time divorce was filed.

It is not uncommon for there to...

I often get asked how someone will know if their spouse is hiding income or assets in a divorce. Sometimes it is obvious when a document is discovered or information is leaked by someone in the know. But what if you just have a "feeling" that something isn't right?

In working with divorcing...

If you are not the major breadwinner in your family and/or you do not have control over your family's finances, you might be referred to as the "out" spouse. It's not unusual for the out spouse to suspect that income and assets are being hidden during a divorce. 

When one party is accused of...

You can read about what a lifestyle analysis is here.

A lifestyle analysis can uncover undisclosed income, either through direct or circumstantial evidence. The analysis of the bank and brokerage statements by the forensic accountant may find deposits that are clearly from a source of income that...

You can read about what a lifestyle analysis is here.

A thorough lifestyle analysis can help discover assets that may have been undisclosed in the divorce. Each and every transaction from the bank, brokerage and credit card accounts must be traced to determine where the funds went. The key to...