Divorce can leave couples spent emotionally and financially, but there are some ways to cope. There is nothing easy about divorce, a harsh reality that takes a toll on many different aspects of life. News 8's financial expert, Kristen Guibord, offered some advice on how to cope -- at least financially.

"One of the biggest stressor of marriage is finances. All the time, if you are talking to people who are getting divorced, that's always one of the biggest stressor," Guibord said.There's no doubt that stress could easily escalate during and following divorce as lives change emotionally and financially.

"There are legal, emotional and financial issues surrounding divorce. So, in terms of divorce, to the extent you can, I think you want to be aware and understand what your family finances are," Guibord said. Guibord said the first thing to do is collect as much that pertinent information as possible.

"You want to know where your bank accounts are, where the investment accounts are, how much it costs a family to live if you have children. How much do the kids cost? What are their expenses on a monthly or yearly basis?" Guibord said.

Individually, each person wants remain in good financial standing. Therefore, it's important to sort out individual obligations and avoid any financial hardships.

"You will want to check your credit rating and have an understanding of how much of that debt is joint debt, how much of that is yours alone and how much is that is in the name of your spouse," Guibord said. Once divorce is final, Guibord said the next step is individual money management.

"You'll need to open a bank account in your own name (and) have a credit card in your own name. You really want to analyze your credit score to understand how much your credit score is based on your own name, or what is in joint (account) with your partner," Guibord said. That task could actually be a little more daunting for some.

"Too often, we will see one spouse who does all of the finances and then one really doesn't have a good handle what is going on and that really puts them at a disadvantage," Guibord said. Guibord added that it is never easy to re-establish individual finances, but with the proper planning, you can still get back on solid ground.