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Tracy sent me the following email and asked for our help and advice. Pitch in your comments and let’s give Tracy a hand.

Tracy writes:

My husband has recently incurred debts on credit cards that are not in my name at all, I’m not even a user on the accounts.

These companies are now calling my home in attempts to collect debts. They haven’t tried to collect it from me personally so far but I want to know can they and it shouldn’t hurt my credit right?!

I have worked really hard to keep my credit in good standing. He is not working right now. Also, he owes child support and at tax time they take what they deem his share of our joint tax return. Which is the majority of it. Is there anyway to get more money back?

Thank you for writing to me and asking for help. Below you will find my answer but let’s hope that others pitch in their comments as well to help you sort this mess out. And let me not forget, here is a big virtual hug for you, sorry that you are having to deal with this.

I think what strikes me first is concern. Obviously I don’t know you or your husband but since you wrote to me let me put on my defend Tracy hat.

Now I’m not saying this is true in your situation but in past situations, in desperate financial situations, I have seen time and time again where one spouse, family member or relationship partner will become so desperate that they will actually apply for credit in the name of the person with the good credit.

On one hand you can understand how someone in such a desperate situation might actually do that, and I’m not saying that may be what has happened here but it is the first thing I would check. And how would I check that, I’d get a copy of my combined credit report.

While there are sites out there where you can get a free annual copy of a credit report, what makes the one I’m suggesting so valuable is that you can download it instantly, it is easy to read and color coded and most importantly gives you all three credit bureau reports on one combined report.

Most people are not aware that a credit report from one credit bureau is not a complete look at your credit. It’s like looking into a room with one eye covered. Each credit bureau will contain similar but different information and it really all depends which credit bureaus your creditors report to. So, the only way to get a rapid and accurate picture is to get your combined 3-in-1 credit report online, now.

The additional importance of looking at your 3-in-1 report is to get all the information you can about these debts that collectors are calling about. On the credit report you need to see if that account is reported on your report and if it is reported as a J debt. J means it is a joint obligation and that could happen if your husband applied for a new card, using your good credit. I’m not saying that is what has happened to you, but it has happened many, many times to others.

Once you get your copy of your combined 3-in-1 credit report in front of you then you’ll know exactly what you are dealing with here and in cases of uncertain debt, knowledge is power.

Savers and Spenders Love Each Other

In life and relationships, people who save tend to attract people who spend. Hell, even in my own relationship I was the spender and my wife the saver when we got married 26 years ago. I mention that because it seems like the obligations which are weighing heavily on you right now all stem from your non-earning husband. He owes, child support, back taxes and now a new debt that the debt collector is chasing.

In your quest to get more money back I think the solution surrounds your husband and getting him out there to do any kind of work to bring money in to take care of his obligations.

So, to summarize, the key to getting to the bottom of this situation is to first figure out what you are really dealing with here by first getting a copy of your credit report to review. And regarding your husband, maybe some readers of this blog will organize an employment intervention to assist your husband to be able to find gainful employment to satisfy his lingering obligations and debts.

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Steve

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