Financial abuse can take many forms:
- Avoids or refuses to pay child support
- Believes they are entitled to your money or assets
- Becomes angry over money issues and then resorts to other kinds of abuse like name calling and physical abuse
- Blames you for their financial difficulties
- Borrows money without repaying it
- Claims they will pay bills that are in your name and doesn’t thereby ruining your credit score
- Controls any welfare benefits you are receiving
- Criticises every financial decision you make
- Decides what employment you can or can’t take
- Deliberately sabotages your work responsibilities and employment opportunities
- Doesn’t allow you to spend money on your children or yourself without asking permission
- Drags out divorce proceeding in order to inflict as much financial harm as possible
- Expects you to bail them out if they get into financial difficulties.
- Expects you to pay their bills and financial obligations
- Expects you to share your income but will not share theirs
- Forces you to sign financial documents without explaining what they are
- Has control over the household expenses
- Hides or takes funds and puts them into a private account that you don’t know about
- Makes major financial decisions without consulting you
- Makes it impossible for you to leave as they have full control over the finances
- Prevents access to your own money. This includes having your own bank account or credit cards
- Prevents you from working
- Prevents you from attending job training or pursing further education so that you can advance your career
- Provides you with an allowance in an amount of their determination
- Refuses to provide you with money in order to pay accounts that are in your name. Or refuses to directly pay the accounts.
- Requires utility bills are in your name
- Requires you to account for everything you spend and asks for receipts
- Requires you to hand over your pay or have your salary paid into your joint account
- Requires access to your bank statements and other financial records
- Runs up debts in your name
- Accrues debts on your joint account without your permission
- Takes out credit accounts using your name and personal information
- Threats to cut you off financially if you disagree with them
- Threatens to lie to officials and claim you are “cheating” if you are receiving benefits
- Will spend money on themselves but prevents you from doing the same
- Will spend money without your knowledge
- Will use money from children’s savings accounts
- Won’t work or contribute to the household expenses
If you are experiencing any of the above you are being financially abused. If you have been subjected to any of the above then yes you have been financially abused.