Regardless of the wording on your divorce decree, you’re still legally responsible for joint accounts opened during your marriage. Even if the judge orders your ex to pay the entire debt, you’re still liable if he or she doesn’t make a payment or defaults on the debt. And if that account continues to live on after the divorce, you’ll still be responsible for the new debt accrued. The first step in cleanly separating your credit after divorce is to close every joint account that includes your name. That won’t wipe out the balance of those accounts, but it will stop the accounts from building new debt. You can also notify your creditors of the divorce to make sure you and your ex both receive monthly statements so you can stay on top of payment histories and current balances. You should also change any usernames and passwords on your financial accounts your ex is privy to. Once you’ve done that, you can start exploring ways to build credit in your name so that you can develop a new and positive credit history. You can do this through a credit card — like those listed above — a personal loan, or an auto loan or mortgage.