If you've recently gotten divorced you may be feeling somewhat overwhelmed by the process of starting over as a single person. However, one of the most important parts of your life that you need to protect right now is your financial well-being. Even after your divorce is finalized there are a few tax tips for the divorced that you'll want to follow to make sure your assets are well managed.

1. Learn About Financial Planning

An important part of handling your own finances, both when you're married and when you're single, is learning all you can about responsible financial planning. Thanks to the Internet you can learn about basic planning strategies and budgeting from a variety of reputable websites and colleges. If you prefer in-person learning, sign up for a class at a local college or community center about the essentials of money management. You'll save a lot of money compared to the costs of hiring a financial adviser and you'll get the hang of handling your own money successfully.

2. Update Your Will and Beneficiary Information

If you plan to change how your property is divided in case of your death, you'll want to give your will and your life insurance policies a review and make some adjustments to the beneficiary section. This is particularly the case if you are remarrying or if your former spouse is remarrying, since these situations may pose additional concerns if you leave your will as-is. Be sure to write a final letter of instructions that explains how your will is to be executed and where to find the relevant financial information such as tax returns, retirement plan account balances, and insurance policies.

3. Check Your Tax Withholding

Another financial area you'll want to check is the amount of taxes you're having withheld from your pay. If you've been claiming the "Married" status and counting your spouse as a dependent you should adjust those numbers immediately to avoid having to pay in additional tax at the end of the year.

4. Get Copies of Your Joint Returns

Since the IRS may go back and flag a return from anytime in the last three years it's in your best interest to get hard copies of the tax returns you filed with your former spouse during that time. This will give you a head start in case you run into any tax issues relating to your past marriage.

Once you get divorced you should begin taking steps to manage your own money. Following these tax tips for the divorced will help you avoid some of the tax problems that may affect others in your situation.