The other week, I got an email that made me cringe.

The email was from a man had just been through a divorce. He explained that he lost 94 percent of everything when he and his wife divorced.

“She got the properties, and I got the mortgages.”

Per the terms of their divorce decree, his monthly spousal support check was to include the cost of the mortgages.

When I read that, I just knew what he was going to say next, and that’s when I cringed…

His ex-wife was cashing the checks, but she wasn’t paying the mortgages on time… the very same mortgages in his name.

This Happens All the Time

This situation is common, so if you ever go through a divorce, make sure you protect your credit.

In short, here’s my advice:

1. Refinance the mortgage in your ex’s name only. In the case of the man who emailed me, he should keep paying spousal support. If his ex fails to pay the mortgage, she will be the only one who suffers. He cannot do anything about the past, but in the future, refinancing in her name will protect his credit.

2. If she cannot qualify for a refinance, he should renegotiate the terms of his spousal support so that he pays the mortgage directly, sending his ex a spousal support check for the remainder.

Click here to read a longer article about divorce and credit.