Getting engaged to your partner is a very exciting time, the prospect of planning to spend your lives together is great. Making financial goals for your new union is important to go over before you tie the knot. The topic of money is one of the most common marital issues, an issue that may be avoided if you are open and honest with financial standings before you get married.
Credit Scores and Issues
Having an open and honest discussion about credit scores and things affecting it is a conversation to have before you get married. No one wants to be shocked when it comes to buying a home or applying for a loan on the creditworthiness of their partner.
You can come together and devise a plan to fix any credit issues you or your partner may have.
Assets
Coming to your partner and discussing assets you bring to a marriage may prompt a realization for a prenuptial agreement. This may be a mood kill but it is important to outline things like trusts, investments, and other assets that you want to remain solely yours. This also means considering what kinds of savings, retirement, and investment accounts you have and whether you’ll want to consolidate those into joint accounts or keep them separate.
Debt
Knowing the kind of debt your partner has before getting married is very important. In some states, debt acquired before marriage is not a shared responsibility, but this can affect your partner’s creditworthiness and affect buying cars or homes.
Support Payments
If your future spouse has child support payments or alimony from a previous marriage or relationship, this is something you will want to know about before getting married. This will help you better budget your income and savings. This is also important to know because once you get married your income may be considered in any adjustments in payments.
Getting married should be a joyous time, addressing these topics sooner than later can help you create a plan of action that makes your finances more organized and life easier.
If you have questions about your future finances and would like our Member Advisors to help, visit our Montebello or Cerritos branch or find us online at caminofcu.org today!