Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about separating finances during divorce, tracing commingled assets, and how Untie works.
About Untie
What is Untie?
Untie is a financial technology platform that helps individuals separate commingled finances during divorce or relationship transitions. It connects to your bank accounts, traces every dollar back to its origin, and generates court-ready documentation showing what's separate property and what's marital property.
How does Untie work?
Untie connects to your financial accounts via Plaid (the same secure technology used by Venmo and major banks). It pulls your transaction history, then uses automated tracing algorithms to classify each dollar as separate or marital property. The result is a clear ownership waterfall for every account.
Who is Untie designed for?
Untie is built for two groups: (1) couples who want to proactively track financial ownership from the start of their marriage — like a financial prenup that updates itself, and (2) individuals going through divorce who need to untangle years of commingled assets retroactively.
Is Untie a replacement for a lawyer or financial advisor?
No. Untie is a financial tracking and documentation tool, not a legal service. Think of it as the evidence layer — it produces the data your attorney, mediator, or CDFA needs to make accurate asset classification arguments. Many family law professionals recommend tools like Untie to reduce billable hours spent on manual tracing.
What does "de-mingle" mean?
De-mingling is the process of separating commingled finances back into their original ownership categories. When separate property (assets you owned before marriage or received as gifts/inheritance) gets mixed with marital property in shared accounts, de-mingling traces each dollar back to its source. Untie coined the term to describe what its software automates.
Commingling & Asset Tracing
What is commingling of assets?
Commingling occurs when separate property (assets owned before marriage, inheritances, or gifts) is mixed with marital property in shared accounts. For example, depositing an inheritance into a joint checking account commingles it. Once commingled, proving original ownership becomes significantly harder — which is why tracing matters.
What are the recognized methods for tracing commingled assets?
Courts generally recognize three methods: (1) Direct tracing — following specific deposits to specific withdrawals; (2) The exhaustion or family expense method — presuming marital funds are spent first, preserving separate property; and (3) The minimum sum balance method — tracking the lowest balance to determine the minimum separate property remaining. The accepted methods vary by state.
How far back can Untie trace transactions?
Most financial institutions retain detailed transaction history for up to 7 years through Plaid. Untie pulls everything available. For marriages under 7 years, we can typically reconstruct the full ownership chain from day one. The sooner you connect your accounts, the more complete the picture.
Can commingled assets be "un-commingled"?
Financially, no — once funds are mixed in an account, you can't physically unmix them. But legally, yes — through tracing. If you can document the source of each dollar using bank records, transaction logs, and tracing methods, courts can classify commingled funds back into separate and marital property. This is exactly what Untie automates.
What happens if I can't prove an asset is separate property?
In most states, if you cannot trace an asset back to a separate source, it is presumed to be marital property and subject to division. This is why documentation matters. According to the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, disputes over separate vs. marital property classification are among the most contentious issues in divorce proceedings.
Does commingling affect inheritance?
Yes. In most states, inheritance is considered separate property — but only if you keep it separate. Depositing inherited funds into a joint account, using them for joint expenses, or mixing them with marital money can convert them to marital property. Untie can trace inherited funds even after they've been commingled.
Legal Validity & Court Use
Will Untie's reports hold up in court?
Untie generates documentation — your attorney presents it in court. Our reports include timestamped, bank-verified transaction data with clear tracing chains. Multiple family law attorneys have validated the export format. The data itself comes directly from financial institutions via Plaid, making it verifiable and authoritative.
Can attorneys and mediators use Untie's reports?
Yes. Untie's reports are designed for professional use. They include detailed transaction ledgers, ownership waterfall breakdowns, commingling flags, and source-to-destination fund flow documentation. Attorneys can use them to support asset classification arguments, and mediators can use them to facilitate fair division discussions.
Is Untie's tracing methodology legally recognized?
Untie implements the same tracing methods used by forensic accountants and recognized by courts — direct tracing, exhaustion method, and minimum sum balance. The difference is automation: what takes a forensic accountant weeks of manual spreadsheet work, Untie does in minutes with the same underlying methodology.
Does Untie work in all states?
Untie works in all 50 states. However, divorce law varies significantly by state — community property states (like California, Texas, and Arizona) treat asset division differently from equitable distribution states (like New York and Florida). Untie's tracing is valuable in both systems because proving separate property origin is critical regardless of the division framework.
Can Untie help with prenup or postnup documentation?
Absolutely. Untie provides ongoing documentation of financial ownership, which strengthens prenuptial and postnuptial agreements. Rather than a one-time snapshot, Untie creates a continuous record of what belongs to whom — making enforcement much clearer if the agreement is ever tested.
Privacy & Security
Can my spouse see my Untie account?
No. Each user has their own login and private account. You control what information is shared. You can choose to share specific accounts or keep them completely private. Joint accounts are visible to both partners only if both connect them independently.
How does Untie protect my financial data?
Untie uses bank-level security. Account connections are made through Plaid, which uses 256-bit AES encryption and is used by over 8,000 financial apps including Venmo and Robinhood. Untie never stores your bank login credentials — Plaid handles authentication directly with your financial institution.
Can Untie move or transfer my money?
No. Untie has read-only access to your financial accounts. It can view transaction history and balances, but it cannot initiate transfers, payments, or any other transactions. It is a documentation and analysis tool only.
What happens to my data if I cancel?
You can export all your reports and data at any time. If you no longer need your account, your data is retained for 30 days after deletion in case you change your mind, then permanently removed. You can also request immediate deletion at any time.
Pricing & Getting Started
How much does Untie cost?
Untie costs $1,250 one-time for a full asset tracing and separation analysis — connect unlimited accounts, get complete ownership classification, commingling detection, and court-ready exports. There is an optional $99/year add-on for ongoing record keeping with continuous monitoring, commingling alerts, and updated snapshots.
Is there a free trial?
You can sign up and connect your accounts to see an initial overview at no cost. The full tracing analysis and report generation require a one-time purchase.
How does Untie compare to hiring a forensic accountant?
A forensic accountant typically costs $300–$500 per hour and takes 2–6 weeks to complete a tracing analysis. Total fees often range from $5,000 to $30,000+. Untie provides automated tracing for a one-time $1,250 fee using the same underlying methodology, delivering results in minutes rather than weeks. For complex, high-asset cases, some clients use both — Untie for initial analysis and a forensic accountant for expert testimony.
How long does it take to get results?
Once you connect your accounts, Untie begins tracing immediately. Most users see their initial ownership analysis within minutes. The full historical trace (going back up to 7 years) typically completes within 24 hours, depending on the number of accounts and transaction volume.
What financial institutions does Untie support?
Untie supports over 12,000 financial institutions through Plaid, including Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Citi, Capital One, US Bank, PNC, TD Bank, Schwab, Fidelity, Vanguard, and virtually every major bank, credit union, and brokerage in the United States.
Common Situations
I'm already going through a divorce — is it too late to use Untie?
Not at all. Untie retroactively traces fund flows using your connected account history — most institutions keep up to 7 years of records. The sooner you connect, the more data we can recover. Many users sign up specifically because they're in the middle of proceedings and need documentation fast.
We're not divorcing yet — should I start tracking now?
Yes. The best time to start documenting financial ownership is before you need it. Proactive tracking creates a continuous record from day one, making any future separation much simpler. Think of it like insurance — you hope you never need it, but you're glad you have it.
What if we have accounts at different banks?
Untie connects to all your accounts across all institutions in one place. It traces fund flows between accounts — even across different banks — so you get a complete picture. For example, it can track a paycheck deposited at Chase that's transferred to a joint account at Bank of America.
Does Untie handle investment and retirement accounts?
Yes. Untie connects to brokerage accounts (Schwab, Fidelity, Vanguard, etc.) and tracks investment holdings, dividends, and transfers. It can trace whether investment gains came from separate or marital principal. Retirement accounts like 401(k)s and IRAs can also be documented, though their division often involves specific legal instruments like QDROs.
How does flow-through investment tracking work?
When money moves between accounts — like dividends from a separate brokerage deposited into joint checking — Untie traces the full chain, recording source, path, and destination. This flow-through tracking is critical because it's where most commingling happens accidentally.
Can both spouses use Untie at the same time?
Yes. Both partners can have their own Untie accounts. Each person controls their own login, connected accounts, and privacy settings. If both partners use Untie cooperatively, it can make the financial separation process faster and more transparent for everyone.
Still have questions? Reach out to us at hello@untie.sh and we'll get back to you within 24 hours.