Can divorce protect me from my wife’s growing debt?

You want to ensure that each spouse fully understands the expectations of each other as to debts and liabilities. Typically, spouses should discuss who is going to be responsible to pay what bills. You definitely want to protect your credit during a divorce. If you are pooling your finances together and incurring joint debts but one spouse is racking up debts faster than what the couple is able to financially manage, then immediate action must be take to protect from debt continuing to build and some assets may need to be set aside to ensure that the debts are paid off. It is definitely not advisable to wait until after the separation in circumstances of joint debt because it is always possible that one spouse may default on the joint debt leaving the other spouse joint and severally liable for the entire debt. To ensure that each spouse takes full responsibility for their respective debts you want to consider closing or leaving open joint accounts and otherwise establish plans for paying the joint debts. If the debts are solely in one spouse’s name then the creditors have absolutely no legal right to pursue the other spouse unless that spouse agreed to guarantee the liability.