Divorce is as much of a financial hardship as it is an emotional one. Even once the process is complete, you may be left dealing with its effects on your credit score for months or even years to come, untangling the joint assets and debt you’ve accrued with your spouse. It’s important to remember that a judge’s ruling is not always enough to separate ownership of loans and credit cards. The divorce may be final, but joint debt is still the responsibility of both spouses unless otherwise noted by the lender. This means if one of you miss a payment, both of your scores may be negatively impacted. There are steps, however, that you can take immediately to help protect and build your individual credit after divorce.