Bankruptcy is by no means game over for your financial life — there are steps you can take to begin rebuilding your credit and eventually, your overall financial health.

There are many misconceptions about credit scores out there. Every time you apply for credit, apply for a job that requires you to handle money, or even apply for some apartment living, your credit score it checked.

If your in debt, you must devise some plan to get out of the red. You can declare bankruptcy (Chapter 13 or Chapter 7), but that will tarnish your credit and financial records. An alternative is the wage earner plan — which allows you to meet your debts methodically without bankruptcy.

One of the major casualties of divorce is the damage incurred to both party’s credit. Not only do you incur the expense of divorce proceedings and attorneys, but divorce can send you spiraling into bankruptcy. Until your former spouse’s information is completely irradiated from your credit file, his or her mistakes with money can also reflect on your credit score. This is why it is advisable to take the following steps sooner rather than later.

While on a shopping spree, you open credit-card accounts at several of your favorite department stores to snap up discounts of 10% or 15%. You’re saving a bundle, but you may be chipping away at your credit score.