Financial control affects a Maryland divorce in several ways. It can make it harder to understand the couple’s finances and can affect issues involving marital property and support. When one spouse handles all the money, the other often enters a divorce without knowing what exists, where it is held, or what it is worth.
Courts can order financial disclosure, weigh each spouse's contributions regardless of who earned the paycheck, and address money that was spent or hidden. If you’re considering divorce and have concerns about financial issues in 2026, the Anne Arundel County, MD divorce lawyers at Diamant Gerstein, LLC can help.
Financial control describes a pattern where one spouse manages the money in a way that leaves the other without information or access. It often develops gradually rather than through any single decision.
Financial control can look like:
Not every uneven arrangement is controlling. Plenty of couples divide responsibilities, with one person handling bills because they are better at it. The difference is whether the other spouse could get the information if they asked.
Maryland courts can use what the law calls a monetary award to adjust each spouse’s rights in marital property. Under Md. Code, Family Law § 8-205, the court looks at several factors when deciding on a monetary award. These include each spouse’s financial and non-financial contributions to the family, their current financial circumstances, the length of the marriage, and the reasons the marriage ended. The court can also consider each spouse’s age and health, along with how particular marital property was acquired.
Non-monetary contributions can look like a spouse who raised children, ran the household, or supported the other's career. Whose name appears on an account does not determine whether it is marital property. Property acquired during the marriage is generally marital regardless of titling. That means an account you have never seen can still be included when the court identifies and values the marital property and determines an equitable monetary award.
Maryland addresses hidden assets through a doctrine called dissipation. It applies when one spouse uses marital property for their own benefit, for a purpose unrelated to the marriage, at a time when the marriage was undergoing an irreconcilable breakdown.
When a court finds dissipation, it can treat the spent money as marital property that still exists when deciding whether to make a monetary award. That prevents someone from draining accounts ahead of a divorce and then arguing there is nothing left to divide.
Common examples include spending on a new relationship, gambling losses, large transfers to family members, sudden unexplained cash withdrawals, and other spending that might not match the household's spending history.
Maryland courts can order financial support while a divorce is pending. That includes pendente lite alimony, meaning temporary support ordered during the case, along with temporary child support and orders addressing use and possession of the family home. These exist specifically to help a spouse cover living expenses while the divorce case is pending. Courts can also order one spouse to contribute toward the other's attorney fees, based on the financial needs and resources of each party.
When you call Diamant Gerstein, LLC, you will always speak to an attorney directly. We take a hands-on approach to our cases. That personal attention can be especially valuable when financial control has left you without clear information about your own situation. Our lead attorney is a lifelong Montgomery County resident with strong local ties. We’ve been recognized on the Maryland Super Lawyers list.
Contact Diamant Gerstein, LLC at 301-560-2685 to talk to our Anne Arundel County, MD divorce lawyers today.
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