Ariah Laraa month agoMy husband got into day trading options about 4-5 years ago. Last year, I found out that for three years, he had hidden the fact that he took out personal loans to trade and lost it all. On top of that, he was missing mortgage payments, which I had no idea about. We never really set up our finances together because he always avoided it, and I trusted him. We own a home, two cars, and pets. He filed for bankruptcy for less than $100k and assured me he would stop. The bankruptcy passed, and I thought everything was fine. But exactly one year later, he confessed that he never stopped trading. I gained access to his account and saw that he had spent almost all of his paychecks every month on trading and had saved nothing. He’s also behind on the mortgage again. When I asked why he kept doing this, he asked for a divorce. I fear there’s a bigger financial issue he’s not being honest about. He denies that his trading is gambling and says that my behavior is causing him too much stress to focus on getting his finances together. He doesn’t budget or track any of his trades or expenses. He agreed that I could buy the house from him, and all he wants is the dog and his car. But now, my concern is how to handle the paperwork. Should I hire a lawyer or financial advisor to help, or can we do this ourselves? I feel like I’m being unfairly burdened with the fallout of his financial mistakes. Does the money he’s lost count as our joint finances? It feels insulting that I’ve been extremely careful with my money while he’s been gambling, and now I have to pay him for the house to have a place to live. We’ve always shared expenses equally, and we both make around $60k each, so I’m trying to avoid unnecessary costs, but I just want out. I’m unsure what to do or how to get proper11.1K
Ariah LaraAriah Lara