Financial Independence Checklist — Week 4 Worksheet

Divorce & Starting Over · Week 4, Lesson 2

Financial Independence Checklist

Your step-by-step guide to establishing credit and banking in your own name

Name:

Start Date:

My Credit Starting Point

Pull your free credit report at annualcreditreport.com and note your current status. This is your baseline — not a judgment.

Equifax Score

Experian Score

TransUnion Score

Number of joint accounts on my report:

Any errors or inaccuracies I need to dispute:

Phase 1: Do This Week Urgent

Pull your full credit reports from all 3 bureaus

annualcreditreport.com — free, official, doesn't hurt your score

Completed on:
Open an individual checking account at a new bank

Choose a bank with no monthly fees. Bring ID, Social Security number.

Bank / Institution:
Open an individual high-yield savings account

Look for 4%+ APY online savings accounts (Marcus, Ally, SoFi, etc.)

Institution & interest rate:
Set up direct deposit to your new checking account

Contact HR or payroll — form typically takes 1–2 pay cycles to activate

Submitted to HR on:

Phase 2: Complete This Month Important

Apply for one credit card in your name only

If no credit history: apply for a secured card (deposit $200–$500). Use it for groceries only, pay in full monthly.

Card issuer / limit:
List all joint accounts and create an action plan for each

For each: Pay off and close / Refinance into one name / Transfer to individual / Monitor

Total joint accounts to address:
Dispute any errors or inaccuracies on your credit reports

File disputes online at Equifax.com, Experian.com, and TransUnion.com. Takes 30–45 days to resolve.

Disputes filed on:
Transfer automatic bill payments to your new account

Utilities, subscriptions, insurance premiums, etc.

Number of payments transferred:

Phase 3: Complete Within 90 Days When Ready

Remove yourself as authorized user from all of your ex's accounts

Call the card issuer directly. Request written confirmation.
Check credit score improvement (re-pull from annualcreditreport.com)

Compare to your baseline from Phase 1. Most people see 20–50 point improvement in 90 days.

New score / change:
Set a credit utilization target and monitor monthly

Keep each card balance below 30% of its limit. Under 10% for highest scores.

My target utilization:
Set up free credit monitoring

Credit Karma (free), Experian free, or your bank's credit monitoring tool. Alerts you to changes.

Service I'll use:

My 90-Day Credit Goal

Current credit score:

My target credit score in 90 days:

The most important single action I can take to improve my score: