 TITLE: How to Manage Your Credit During a Divorce CONTENT: How Do You Manage Debt in a Divorce?\n------------------------------------\nEven though the divorce itself isn't relevant to your credit status, the way you resolve and manage your joint debt and credit accounts can make a difference. Your good credit can survive a divorce. For the sake of your financial—and emotional—equilibrium, it helps to take early steps to manage and protect your credit.\n*   **Create a plan.** As soon as possible—even before you separate, if you can—try to work together to take stock of your joint credit accounts, loans and other bills and decide who will take charge of paying each one. If savings accounts are intertwined, figure out a way to divide assets, possibly by determining how much each person contributed to the account.\n*   **Close or separate your accounts.** To simplify things, pay off and close joint accounts wherever possible. When that's not feasible, talk to your lender or card issuer about converting to an individual account by removing your ex-spouse as an account holder or authorized user. You also want to remove your name from any open accounts your ex plans to continue using.\n*   **Be responsible.** Until your accounts are fully separated, you and your ex have the potential to run up joint debt and\/or damage each other's credit. Your divorce process will go far more smoothly and your good credit has a much better shot at staying intact if you act responsibly now. While you are sorting things out, make at least your minimum payments on time. And don't rack up any debt you don't intend to repay yourself.\nMonitoring your credit is a good practice during this time as well. Not only will it help you check on the status of your accounts (whether you've closed or converted them), but it also allows you to see any missed payments or other negative information—as well as any inquiries or new accounts. END