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Divorce can be unpleasant, particularly if your breakup occurs past the age of 50. There's the emotional sting of dealing with a failed relationship late in life, the challenges of

dating again and starting over as a single person, and of course, financial issues to tackle. Unfortunately, money matters can sometimes take a backseat to the personal drama that unfolds

during a divorce. If you're separating from your spouse — or plan to — you need to protect your finances as best you can, especially your credit standing. Here are 10 ways to safeguard

your credit and finances in a divorce. 1. CLOSE JOINT ACCOUNTS IMMEDIATELY Since joint accounts are held by you and your spouse together, both of you are equally responsible for the debt, no

matter how it is distributed in the divorce. "If an account is left open, your ex can add more debt, make a late payment, miss a payment or default, and you will also be held

responsible," says Bill Hardekopf, a credit expert and CEO of LowCards.com. "The creditor reports account activity to the credit bureau in both of your names. This affects the

personal credit score for both individuals." If you and your spouse are separating, protect your finances to keep your credit in good standing. Peter Dazeley/Getty Images 2. NOTIFY

CREDITORS ABOUT YOUR DIVORCE After you close any joint accounts, send a certified letter notifying your credit card companies, banks and other lenders about your divorce. "Ask them to

provide a current account statement and tell them that you do not intend to be held liable for any debt accumulated after the date of the written letter," Hardekopf says. "Request

that they put the account on inactive status so no new additional charges may be added, and stipulate that once the balance is paid in full, the account is to be closed completely." If

your spouse is an authorized user on any of your individual accounts, or you're an authorized user on spouse's accounts, each of you should remove the other from the accounts. This

will reduce the risk of either party racking up new, unauthorized debts. Again, revoke the authorization on the account via certified mail. 3. GET MONTHLY STATEMENTS For any accounts with

outstanding balances, insist on getting copies of the monthly statements sent to you. Do the same thing for any accounts you are unable to close or want to keep open for whatever reason.

This way, you'll be able to keep track of the accounts and know that timely payments are being made. 4. DON'T FIGHT TOOTH AND NAIL FOR THE HOUSE "A lot of times in divorce,

especially for women, they want to stay in the marital home because that's where they've raised the kids and they have emotional attachment to the home," says Alan Frisher,

head of Sage Divorce Planning LLC and codirector of Florida Alimony Reform, a nonprofit that raises awareness about money-related divorce issues.