Debt Relief and Divorce - How to Protect Yourself From More Debt

It is said that lots of American men and women are staying married, but living separated because of today's economy. In fact, there are still separated men and women who are sharing the same house. We often associated divorces with long messy battles, so why is this happening?

It is happening because people just don't have the money to spend. Especially married couples with children are realizing that it is in their best interest to live together but separately for the time being. But what if you aren't one of those individuals? What if you and your spouse have decided to part ways? What if you were enrolled in a debt relief program at the time? Or, what if you need to enroll in one now because you owe a lot of money to the creditors?

Agreements: When it comes to divorce, if you own any shared assets, these will often be divided up. In the case of a home, that home is often sold during or after the divorce. If the home still has a mortgage, that amount is paid off first. Unless other special arrangements were made, the leftover money from the sale is typically divided between the two. A similar agreement needs to be made for debts.

Lets say you two have a credit card (with both your names on the account) and that credit card has $100,000 in debt. You both used the card; therefore, it is debt that belongs to both of you. One of the first things you want to do is bring this to the attention of your lawyer. This debt can and should be worked into your divorce agreement.

While there are steps that you can take to protect yourself when it comes to divorce and debt relief, there are some men and women who are placed in very unfortunate situations. They had their ex-spouse up and disappear or outright refuse to pay their portion of the debt. You might be surprised how much this happens. You want to keep your credit and finances in good standing, but it seems as if they could care less. What should you do?

As tempting as it might be, you don't want to avoid paying the bills. You think "it isn't my responsibly," but the creditors will still come after you. You could always go the route of small claims court, but right now your focus should be taking care of your credit. This is particularly true if you have children; you'll never know when you need financing for a car or medical emergency. Here comes another problem though, if you are now a single parent you are struggling to make ends meet. The best thing for you to do is to talk to a debt relief program.

In this case, debt relief programs that focus on consolidation typically aren't recommended. You will get a consolidated loan in just your (not your ex's either). Should you ever later want to go after them in small claims court, you might have hurt your chances. That is why settlement is best. What happens here is the amount you owed is reduced. A settlement company will agree to get your creditors to settle for less, making it a lot easier for you to pay.

There has really never been a more advantageous time for consumers to try and eliminate unsecured debt. Creditors are very concerned about collecting and most have government money to make eliminating some of your debt financially feasible. Check out the link below to locate legitimate debt relief companies in your area: