When a couple is married, they often hold joint accounts, such as savings, credit cards and mortgages. This links their credit scores together. If you’ve just gone through a divorce, your credit may be in shambles. Sometimes, one partner will run up a huge credit card bill, deplete the equity in the home or otherwise try to wreak havoc with the credit score of the other party. It’s important to address this problem head on.

If you have friends who work at banks, especially if they are in lending, you might be tempted to ask them to check your credit score for free.

A FICO Score is a brand of credit score — FICO stands for Fair Isaac Corporation and Fair Isaac is the company that developed the software program used by the credit bureaus to compile and calculate credit scores for U.S. consumers.

Some credit cards come with absolutely no listed limit, which at first may seem like a good thing.

In this day and age, just about every facet of life is connected to your creditworthiness. It’s not just about buying a home or car anymore. Employers check credit reports to see if you are trustworthy. Insurance companies tie premiums to your credit rating. Even landlords check credit ratings to see if you pay your bills on time. Establishing credit helps you get the best deals of life’s big purchases.