Help! I'm on my husband's gas card, he's not paid the bill

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NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Facing a difficult financial decision? Send in your question to Gerri for some timely advice.

Question 1. As a working father of two, I have checked into online colleges for myself. What are your thoughts about online schools? Jeffrey

Here's the situation: It's getting harder to get private student loans and many families just don't have the resources to afford a hefty tuition bill.

If you're interested in sharpening your skills or repositioning yourself for a new career, first, make sure you need a degree or extra schooling in the first place.

But online schools can be a good deal, especially if you aren't able to drive to campus everyday. You want to make sure that the school you're interested in is accredited. For that, go to the Council for Higher Accreditation at chea.org.

Question 2. My husband added me as an authorized signer to his gas card account. Even though I didn't use the account, when he didn't pay the bill for a few months, the delinquency was added to my credit reports. Is this right since this is not a joint account? Michelle

That's the downside to being added as an authorized user says Adam Levin of Credit.com. The account normally shows up on your credit report as well as the primary card holder's credit report.

The good news is you can easily and legitimately have that account removed from your credit reports because you have no liability. Have your husband contact the creditor and have them remove your name from the account. Then you need to contact each of the credit bureaus and ask them to remove the account.

Question 3. What is the difference between just letting accounts go into default and declaring bankruptcy? Shaun, New York

Bankruptcy is legal protection from your creditors.

If you file for bankruptcy then your creditors can't attempt to collect the debt says Levin. If you simply allow it to go into default they can pursue you via collection agencies and even in the courts to compel you to pay.

Neither is a good option and both will cause significant damage to your credit reports and scores. If you're having trouble making your payments, a good step here is to talk to a credit counselor.

Go to the National Foundation for Credit Counseling at NFCC.org. They may be able to help you set up a debt management plan so you can pay back your creditors over time.