Your mail and divorce
By Amy B. Crane • Bankrate.com

While the mailman may be famous for delivering your mail through snow, sleet and rain, divorce can foul things up. If you move out of the family home and don't make arrangements to receive your mail elsewhere, you can get in trouble with creditors and lose track of loans, bank statements and investment accounts.

Some people immediately open up a post office box and have their mail forwarded there once they've decided to divorce. "If you're concerned about your mail being stolen out of your physical mailbox, this is a good thing to do," says Brette McWhorter Sember, J.D., author of "The Divorce Organizer and Planner."

Staying on top of the mail is necessary to make sure that you've taken care of all the credit and financial details related to the divorce. Check your bills and statements as you receive them to make sure only your name is on them. If your ex-spouse's name continues to appear on statements and bills, notify the companies again.

If you have kids in school, both parents will want copies of all relevant school papers, such as report cards, calendars and standardized test scores. "Most schools will mail two copies of all school papers, one to each parent," Sember says.

"If you are the noncustodial parent, make sure the divorce decree gives you access to all school and health records for your child. The school may require a copy of the decree before agreeing to send this information to another address. If they aren't complying, ask your lawyer to make a phone call or send a letter and that should take care of the problem."

See also: Getting a divorce? Protect yourself financially