Question on situation

[onlybeginning]

Wife and I are seperated (4 months). She went on mat leave 3.5 years ago and once mat leave was up she stayed off on a leave of absence for child rearing purposes (unpaid) for up to 3 years (6 months remaining on her leave). She is refusing to go back to work early. She has the ability to go back to work at any time and start assisting in the finances but she will not. I have for the last 3 years covered every household expense, mortgage payment, her loan payments etc, she has contributed nothing financially. She is not living in the home now, she is staying with family. We have a joint bank account and twice she has gone in after being informed that the money put in the account was for this bill or that bill and took it. I have since switched payments to my personal account. She has rerouted $850/month of money coming in (child benefit/pension payment) to her personal account. I have applied for my share of the child benefit. My view on all this is I have been paying EVERY bill/loan/mortgage payment/gas/food/entertainment EVERYTHING!!! for the last 3 years and that money should be going to the bills etc until we sell the house and have no more bills together....She is no longer living in the home and does have the kids half the time and obviously needs money for gas, food etc....My contention is she has a very well paying job she can go back to but refuses and I am stuck paying for everything and she has redirected money to her personal account. I am not sure there is a whole lot I can do about any of this. I am going to stop making payments on her personal loan but I believe I am stuck paying for everything else. Not sure how to force her back to work or force her to pay her share of the bills???

 

[Rioe]

You're on the right track. Close all joint accounts ASAP! Close all joint credit cards, lines of credit, etc. Stop making payments on anything that is in her name only, like her credit card or her car, etc.

If she has the children half the time, calculate the child support that you would owe her based on your income. Then estimate the income she could make if she worked full time and calculate the child support she would owe you based on that imputed income. Then pay her only the difference. That should be the only money of yours that goes to her from now on. If she needs more than that, well, that's why she's living with family, I guess.

If you are the only one residing in the matrimonial home, you're stuck paying those bills, unfortunately. She's technically still responsible for half the mortgage, but in reality, you're not going to damage your credit by only paying half of it.