The Most Common Hidden Assets?

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Common Types of Hidden Assets

Individuals and businesses typically hide assets to gain a financial advantage. Spouses may hide assets during a divorce case to avoid sharing money, and businesses may hide assets to avoid paying taxes. Unfortunately, hidden assets cause a lot of harm and headache for everyone involved, and investigators can uncover numerous types of hidden assets depending on the situation.

When you’re dealing with financial investigations and fraud, you’ll commonly encounter these hidden assets:

Real estate ranks among the most common hidden assets for both businesses and individuals. It’s easier to hide real estate that doesn’t produce income, since these properties leave little to no paper trail—especially if someone pays in cash. A missing paper trail can make hidden real estate extremely difficult to track down.

Offshore bank accounts are another popular hiding spot. While people can hide bank accounts anywhere in the world, offshore accounts remain a favorite technique. In a divorce case, a spouse will likely struggle to access an offshore account even after discovering it.

Small collectibles are also easy to hide. These valuables include jewelry, coins, and even artwork. Their portability makes them simple to tuck away where no one will find them.

Rare livestock presents another possibility. While hiding a Thoroughbred horse outright is difficult, owners can easily conceal its true value.

Fixed business assets create hiding opportunities because companies record depreciation in several ways—most commonly for furniture, tools, or equipment. The gap between net book value and fair market value can significantly alter a company’s net worth.

Last-minute valuation adjustments can also mask assets, including contingent or unrecorded assets, non-operating assets, and real estate.

Other hidden assets include cash, mutual funds, insurance policy values, bearer municipal bonds, and stocks.

How Financial Investigations Uncover Hidden Assets

Whether you’re dealing with an individual or a business, a financial investigator can help uncover hidden assets. Knowing where to look makes up a big part of the battle, and a skilled investigator can find even the most obscure hidden assets.

Financial investigators commonly use these approaches to discover hidden assets:

Reviewing tax returns for both individuals and corporations. While a tax return won’t reveal everything about someone’s finances, it often provides a large piece of the puzzle.
Examining bank statements and financial transactions, which often leave behind clues pointing to hidden assets.
Checking browser history to detect new bank accounts.
Reviewing a business’s cash flow procedures, including how much money comes in and who receives it.

Do You Need Help Discovering Hidden Assets?

Whether you’re an individual or a business, Able Legal Investigations can help with financial investigations, hidden assets, and more.