Credit Advice

??? This question makes little to no sense. People "are" not joint accounts. Every person has their own credit history. If you have a joint account, the account will show up on both peoples' credit histories. Time for a hypothetical example. Person A: Has a personal credit card (paid on time), a personal car loan (paid on time), and a joint mortgage with person B (paid on time).  Person B: Has a personal loan (missed a few payments), some student loans (paid on time), and shares the joint mortgage with person A (paid on time). If person A checks their credit report, the credit card will show up, the car loan will show up, and the mortgage will show up. All will show up as being paid on time, and person A's credit score will be good. If person B checks their credit report, the late personal loan will show up, the student loan will show up, and the mortgage will show up. The student loan and mortgage, because both were paid on time, reflect positively on person B's credit score. The personal loan with missed payments is negative. Person B's irresponsibility with the personal loan does not affect Person A's credit score. If the mortgage is not paid, then both person A and person B's credit scores will suffer. Yes, check your own personal credit report and score.