 TITLE: What Is a Divorce Decree? CONTENT: Be Prepared Before You File\n---------------------------\nIf you know you or your spouse will be filing for divorce, then it's not a bad idea to take some steps in advance to ensure your credit reports are as insulated from the process as possible. This may cause you to do certain things that you wouldn't normally do as it pertains to credit management practices.\nFor example, if you have joint credit cards, it might not be a bad idea to open one or two new cards only in your name. This will help protect your buying power if and when your joint credit cards are closed as part of the divorce process. Experian CreditMatch™ can pair you with credit cards that fit your unique credit profile.\nIf you have joint loans, such as a mortgage or an auto loan, those are more difficult to address. Unless you want to leave it to the court to determine who will be responsible for making payments on those debts you may want to consider disposing of the assets. That means selling your home and\/or car, possibly to your spouse, as this will eliminate the joint debts. This also eliminates the possibility that joint loan obligations, and their potential problems, will persist after your divorce has been finalized.\nYou may also want to sign up for Experian Boost™† as a strategy to increase your credit scores. Boost is a free service you can use to add your phone, utility and other accounts to your Experian credit report, which can help improve your FICO® and VantageScore® credit scores. END