Every Step Financial Services

Debts & Liabilities During Divorce

Clear, independent guidance to help you understand debts, joint liabilities, and long-term affordability during divorce.

Debts and financial liabilities are an important but often overlooked part of divorce. Joint borrowing, loans, credit cards, overdrafts, and household commitments must all be considered carefully to reach a fair and realistic settlement. At Every Step Financial Solutions, we help you understand what you owe, who is responsible, and how different debt decisions will affect your financial future.

Preparing For Your Future

Why Debts & Liabilities Matter During Divorce

Debt doesn’t disappear when a relationship ends. In many cases, liabilities form a major part of the financial settlement and can have a long-term impact on your future stability. Understanding your responsibilities — and the options available — is essential.

We help you consider:

  • Who is legally responsible for each debt

  • How liabilities affect affordability and budgeting

  • Joint debt vs individual debt

  • Credit implications after separation

  • How debts impact settlement negotiations

  • Whether restructuring or repayment plans are needed

Our advice helps you make informed decisions and avoid financial mistakes that can affect you long after the divorce is finalised.

Common Mistakes People Make During Divorce

We help you approach these decisions calmly and confidently. Our advice helps you avoid serious financial pitfalls that many people overlook, including:

Key Financial Considerations for Debts & Liabilities

Here are the six key areas we assess to give you a complete understanding of your debt position:

Joint Debts & Shared Borrowing

We help you understand how joint loans, overdrafts, and credit cards work and why lenders can still pursue either party until the debt is cleared.

Personal Loans & Credit Commitments

We review personal debts, including loans, credit cards, store cards and repayment plans, and explain how they fit into settlement discussions.

Mortgage Arrears & Property-Linked Debt

We assess mortgage debt, arrears, and affordability to help you understand how liabilities affect your ability to keep or sell the family home.

Car Finance, Hire Purchase & Leasing

We explain how vehicle-related finance works, who is responsible, and how these agreements fit into your overall financial picture.

Business, Self-Employed & Tax Liabilities

For business owners, we review business debts, tax obligations, VAT, and other liabilities that may influence negotiations.

Long-Term Affordability & Credit Impact

We show how debt decisions affect your future affordability, credit score, borrowing ability and financial independence after divorce.

Divorce Financial Services

Understanding Joint Debt Responsibility

Many people are surprised to learn that joint debt remains the responsibility of both people, regardless of personal arrangements. We help you:

  • Clarify joint credit agreements

  • Understand how lenders view joint liability

  • Assess options for restructuring or repayment

  • Identify risks to your credit score

  • Make informed, practical decisions

Debt Analysis & Affordability Planning

Understanding the affordability of debt is essential when moving to a single-income household. We help you:

  • Assess monthly repayment commitments

  • Review high-interest debt

  • Plan realistic repayment strategies

  • Understand how debt affects your budget

  • Evaluate debt options during settlement

This ensures you don’t take on commitments you cannot sustain.

Preparing For Your Future

Cashflow Planning Around Debt

We provide clear, long-term projections to help you understand:

  • How debt affects future affordability

  • What repayment strategies look like

  • How financial decisions today impact future plans

  • Whether restructuring is beneficial

  • Your long-term financial stability post-divorce

This clarity reduces stress and uncertainty.

How We Support Your Solicitor

Your solicitor manages the legal process — we provide the financial clarity behind it.

We support your solicitor by:

  • Analysing all debts and liabilities

  • Preparing affordability reports for negotiations

  • Providing clear summaries for mediation or court

  • Highlighting risks or unrealistic proposals

  • Explaining how liabilities impact settlement options

  • Supporting discussions around joint borrowing and credit agreements

Together, this ensures your settlement is financially realistic and sustainable.

Our Process

Our Six-Step Debts & Liabilities Advice Process

01

Initial Discovery Consultation

Understanding your financial situation, debt responsibilities, and long-term goals.

02

Document & Liability Collection

Gathering statements, loan agreements, credit details, and financial documents.

03

Debt Review & Financial Analysis

Assessing all liabilities, repayment terms, interest rates, and long-term implications.

04

Scenario Modelling & Repayment Planning

Showing how different settlement options and repayment structures affect your future finances.

05

Personalised Advice & Action Plan

Clear recommendations tailored to your situation, ensuring long-term affordability.

06

Ongoing Guidance & Financial Support

We continue to support you after the settlement with ongoing planning, budgeting and repayment strategies.

Who This Service Is For

This service is ideal for:

  • Anyone with joint debts or shared borrowing

  • Couples with loans, credit cards or mortgage arrears

  • Individuals unsure who is responsible for each debt

  • People moving to a single-income household

  • Anyone needing clarity before mediation or court

  • People wanting realistic, sustainable financial planning

Customer Testiomonials

Every Step Financial Services

5.0Out of 5 stars

Overall rating out of 11 Google reviews Verified by Google Reviews WordPress Plugin

Richard Warnes
2 weeks ago

Joanne is very thorough and efficient and takes the time to explain all the details of the work she undertakes. I won't be going anywhere else for my financial advice

Glenda Meade
a month ago

Spoke with Jo for ten mins, and was told more about withdrawing my pension pot in them minutes than the Provider has told me in the last 7 weeks. Very professional and very helpful, would certainly recommend

Geraldine Jones
4 months ago

Jo was so helpful. After having concerns on some financial queries, Jo was very knowledgeable and reassuring. She helped put my mind at ease and has given me confidence in moving forward.

Deb Carter
4 months ago

First time using Every Step Financial Services and they have been brilliant, professional while making you feel comfortable as sometimes talking about things what they deal with are confusing and sometimes hard to understand for me anyway , this company can walk the walk as well as talk the talk thank God!!

Darren Carter
5 months ago

Joanne was brilliant. listened to what I needed and then went through my pensions and explained what was going on with them. Would seriously recommend Joanne to all my friends & colleagues.

Frank Jeffs
6 months ago

I am delighted to speak on behalf of JOANNE FLANAGAN of Every Step Financial Services. Joanne has provided financial advice to my wife and I for some time now and she has always offered this advice in a most professional manner. She listens carefully to our views and reflects them in her judgements. For many years Joanne ably monitored our investments and offered us advice on the way forward. Recently however Joanne has gone beyond what we could have expected as she has supported us with help, compassion, and understanding during our daughter's difficult divorce. We have had to loan our daughter much of our savings to fund her legal bills which have come in at irregular and sometimes unexpected moments. Joanne has always been there to with advice and help organising the arrangements and managing our withdrawls. She has proved herself a true friend as well as a financial adviser. When the divorce is settled and the loan repaid I look forward to reinvesting our savings with Joanne and Every Step. Thank you Joanne Frank Jeffs 14/12/24

First class service, with Joanne going above and beyond the call of duty. She is always available for a chat about plans, keeps me informed and quickly actions changes when needed. Can not recommend highly enough

Grace Carter
7 months ago

Jo is a an actual lifesaver. I was on the hook for a >£100k inheritance tax bill after an 18 month probate process. My lawyer had tried everything, and we were in dire straits - the bill exceeded what was available in cash to pay it. I got second and third opinions from lawyer friends… No one had any better news for us. In desperation I turned to Jo who immediately spotted that I was entitled to transfer some of my deceased father’s allowance since my parents never divorced. SOMETHING MY LAWYER COMPLETELY MISSED! Unlike Jo, he’d just assumed that because they weren’t together, they were divorced. Jo takes the time to know her customers, assumes nothing, listens to EVERYTHING and that, along with her razor sharp mind and fairly recent training means she is on top of all the most recent legislation and can get the very best outcomes for her clients. My bill dropped to £8.5k thanks to Jo’s knowledge and intelligence and I am forever in her debt. Thank you, Jo. I cannot sing your praises highly enough, and my mum would be so, so grateful to you 🙏🏼

Helen Jugroop
8 months ago

I've worked with Jo for a few years now & she is extremely approachable & friendly. Her advice has helped so much in understanding about my future finances. She actually talks in a language that I understand & makes it easy to get to grasps with financial stuff which is not my forte. I have recommended Jo to friends & family & they have benefitted from her advice too.

Joelle Byrne
8 months ago

Absolutely incredible service! Joanne took the time to sit with us, talk to us (not at us!) and understand our very complex, individual circumstances. Her advice was unbiased, considered and perfectly suited to our needs. Highly recommend!!

Alan Ide
10 months ago

Jo has helped my wife and me with our pension planning and given us general financial advice. She is extremely knowledgable and helpful and we can highly recommend her services.

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Create a Clear, Confident Financial Plan for the Future

Understanding debt and liabilities during divorce is essential for long-term financial stability. We provide clear guidance to help you avoid mistakes, protect your finances, and move forward with confidence.

Contact Us

Call us at 01422 652300 or fill out our form, and we’ll contact you within one business day.

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