The Divorce Money Guide with Tracy Coenen | Ep. 138

• Tracy describes forensic accounting as financial investigations and fraud detection—essentially finding where money went, how it was spent, and what's unaccounted for.

I just say I find money. I spend a lot of time looking at bank statements and credit card statements and trying to figure out where money was spent, how it was spent, where it ended up, what's not accounted for.

• Tracy investigates executive-level theft including customer payment skimming, inventory theft, and supplier kickback schemes. She works both for victim companies and for those accused of embezzlement to ensure accurate figures in legal proceedings.

If you stole a million dollars, but you were being accused of stealing $3 million. I think you should get punished for the million, not the three.

• Changes in behavior around money—such as becoming controlling, secretive with accounts, or refusing access to statements—are major warning signs. Other red flags include secrecy with phones or whereabouts, which may indicate affairs, gambling, or substance issues.

When you have a spouse or a partner who did not go to the ATM, did not withdraw cash... but all of a sudden they are. And you're seeing, okay, a $500 withdrawal two or three times a week when previously they never went to the ATM before. Huge problem.

• Start gathering information immediately. Download and securely store bank statements, credit card statements, and tax returns. Having legal access now means you should preserve these records for potential divorce proceedings.

Your best friend, if you end up separating or getting divorced, your best friend is going to be information.

• Tracy created the Divorce Money Guide to democratize forensic accounting knowledge. Most people can't afford $10k-$15k for a forensic accountant during divorce, so this resource teaches average individuals how to identify financial discrepancies themselves.

Why can't there be a resource for people? Why can't someone make a resource for people from the point of view of forensic accounting? So I made it.