Whether it’s just a boy/girlfriend, a fiancé, or even a spouse it can still be difficult to talk to your significant other about finances. Hopefully by the time you’re married you will have managed to come around to that conversation, but even then it can be stressful having to bring the subject up. Talking about finances isn’t exactly a fun thing to do, but it could keep you out of hot water which could be extremely important for both your well-being and even your relationship.
Financial squabbles are actually listed as one of the top reasons why couples split up. Sometimes one person has a different view of what should be done with shared money than the other one, or one person wants to share money in a different way than the other. Even though it may not exactly be a romantic conversation, it is important to talk to a partner about finance before you get married or decide to stay together for good. Even if you’re already married, it’s never too late to start talking about money. If you and your partner aren’t exactly on the same page there are a few very likely causes of this, and there are definitely ways to fix them.
One big problem couples these days face is that one partner comes into the relationship with a huge load of debt already while the other one may have been more careful not to let their debt go too far. Regardless of why your partner may not have a spotless debt report it could still cause some contention, and the important thing is to make sure you keep a rational mind about dealing with the situation. The best way to deal with this problem is first to work it out before tying the not, but if that ship has sailed working to fix the problem is still important. In this situation you have to be completely honest with your partner by making sure you share credit reports with each other and don’t leave out any details. Knowing the full financial picture is the first step to getting out of debt. Next you should talk together and work out a plan that you both agree is a reasonable goal for paying off your debts. Also be sure to keep track of your progress periodically. If one partner is a big spender then you need to be able to catch overspending behavior and correct it before it gets out of hand.
Many people don’t realize it but if you are with someone who has had difficulties paying their bills in the past this could negatively impact your credit score of you choose to get married. Even a single late payment could mean a one hundred point loss on your FICO score. The best solution here is to make sure you and your partner are on the same track. Go over your budget every month and see where the problem areas lie. Maybe if one partner is better at paying the bills then the both of you could agree that that person becomes responsible for bill paying.
Another big financial worry for new couples is that one partner has bad credit or no credit at all. You may be surprised to find that no credit history can leave you with a weak credit score just as easily as a bad credit history can. Luckily these days its easier than ever to repair credit card debt or to build a new credit score from scratch. More and more people are willing to offer credit to those who may have had some financial difficulties in the past, or especially to those who have had difficulty building their credit history. If this is a problem for you, consider talking to your significant other about having them open a line of credit in their name, or if they have debt then paying that debt off at a pace that is reasonable for the two of you. there is no reason that anyone should have to maintain poor or no credit. You can easily build or rebuild a partner’s credit by making sure they have something they are making timely monthly payments to.
Here at Scott McCorkle’s Liberty Buick GMC we understand that sometimes people fall on hard times and it can be difficult to pick yourself back up. We would love to help you and your partner build or rebuild your credit scores! If you are interested in one of our excellent auto loans then please visit our contact us page or call 866-442-0871!