You\’ve just gone through a divorce. If you\’re lucky it was a fairly easy process. Maybe you and your ex spouse were able to sit down and work things out yourselves and then file for an uncontested divorce. If you were really lucky and really smart, you had no debts so were able to walk away from the marriage with your share of the assets and no debt to worry about.

Not always the case

Unfortunately, this is not always the way divorces work. In many cases, there can be a lot of fighting and anger before everything is settled. Some divorces drag on for months and end up costing thousands of dollars.

It doesn\’t matter whether your divorce was easy or difficult, you will still be faced with the question of credit card debt after divorce.

It depends on the settlement

There are different ways to settle your credit card debt after divorce. What actually happens will depend largely on your settlement. Your ex-spouse might have agreed to take all of the credit card debt. Alternately, you might have agreed to responsibility for all of it. Or you may have agreed to split paying the debt, which is probably the worst-case scenario. Why so? Because this will force you to keep communicating with your ex, whether you want to or not. Plus, it can leave you vulnerable. Suppose your ex-spouse decides to renege on the agreement. In this case, the credit card companies could come after you.

What you can do

If you get stuck with credit card debt after divorce there are some things you can do to make it easier to manage. First, you should be able to get retailers, finance companies and credit card companies to simply reduce your interest rates. All you have to do is call your creditors and tell them you will be taking your business to some other credit card provider because you\’re just not willing to pay their sky-high rates anymore. This alone can be enough to get you lower interest rates.

Get credit counseling

There is probably a non-profit consumer credit counseling service in your area. These are usually non-profit agencies and often provide their services free. You can arrange to meet with a credit counselor who will go over your debts and help you create a strategy for getting out from under them. This is no magic bullet. It will be hard work. But it\’s a sound and simple way to handle credit card debt after divorce.

Live simpler

The fact is you can live without some of those things you thought were so essential just a few months or years ago. For example, you could trade in your hot, sexy car for a sensible one that gets much better gas mileage. You might cancel the premium channels on your cable television and eat salad at McDonald\’s instead of shrimp scampi at your favorite Italian restaurant. Living simpler is not a decision you make. It is a hundred decisions you make every day that can help you save money and get out from under that debt.

Plus, you may be forced into this situation due to the large financial costs of the divorce.

Start building new credit

If you\’re paying off old, joint credit card debt, you should start building credit in your own name. If you and your ex handled your finances reasonably well, you should have a good credit record and can get a new credit card. If you did not handle your finances so well and your credit report shows a lot of late payments, you may want to apply for a department store credit card instead or get what\’s called a secured card. If you manage that new card carefully and intelligently, you should soon have a better credit report and could get a regular credit card.

It is not always easy to move on after a divorce. Being stuck with credit card debt can be a constant reminder of your ex. There are plenty of resources available to help with debt.

Next, visit http://www.debtconsolidationusa.com/ for help with your debts. DebtConsolidationUSA.com has helped over 100,000 consumers deal with their debt problems.

Next, visit http://www.debtconsolidationusa.com/ for help with your debts. Debt Consolidation USA has helped over 100,000 consumers deal with their debt problems.

Author Bio: Next, visit http://www.debtconsolidationusa.com/ for help with your debts. DebtConsolidationUSA.com has helped over 100,000 consumers deal with their debt problems.

Category: Finances
Keywords: debt,divorce,settlement,finances,credit card debt,assets,