Credit scores are not one of those things that people tend to think about as they move through a divorce but you should. Your credit score is intimately connected to every aspect of your life from getting approved for an apartment to purchasing a new car. The last thing you need is a divorce dragging down your credit score the moment that you need it to begin building a new life.
One of the most common issues that arise occurs when one spouse stops making payments on a joint account. Most people become comfortable in routines, which means that one spouse takes care of a particular expense while the other manages others. Unfortunately, this means that if your ex-spouse decides to stop making payments that will affect your credit as well. You may not even realize that you are behind until it is too late. It is imperative that you track your accounts to ensure that payments are made on a timely basis.
Another common issue arises because people do not sufficiently reduce their expenses. Divorce is expensive, and not just in legal fees. Divorce severs incomes and greatly increases expenses. You now will likely need to pay much more for rent, bills and food while extricating yourself from the life you had been living, which requires that you modify your expenses to adapt to this new reality. Many people fail to change their spending habits and end up drowning in credit card debt as they struggle to maintain their lifestyle.
If you are considering divorce, then you should probably speak with a lawyer as soon as possible. As stated above, divorce will involve every aspect of your life from budgeting to dividing assets. You cannot afford to avoid these issues or to delay them. A lawyer can help you confront these matters to ensure that you will be treated fairly by the courts and opposing counsel.
