Love and Debt

Recently I was talking with a friend who has good credit. She has at times even worked two jobs, just to make sure that she paid her bills and maintained that excellent credit she now enjoys. She is now dating someone and it’s getting pretty serious. However, she has some suspicions that this person may have bad credit, and may even have lots of debt. She asked me if she should be concerned.

This is a common question that men and women ask when it comes to getting involved in a relationship. You need to ask yourself what makes you think that this person has money issues. Do you see overdue bills sitting around? Does he or she complain about creditors calling? Are you always paying for everything when you go out? These are all points of concern and possible warning signs.

If these credit issues bother you now, it’s best to address them. If you marry, the problems will only be magnified. Differences about how you manage money and credit have a substantial impact on a relationship or marriage, and your spouse’s bad credit can affect your good credit. Money matters are the number one reason for family arguments.

It is one thing if the special person in your life has credit issues, but it is a far bigger problem if they aren’t willing to address them, and work to improve their credit. This can be a serious warning sign, and something to address if you’re contemplating a lifelong commitment.

While we don’t offer marriage advice, our highly trained credit counselors can help that special person in your life get a clear picture of their credit. If they need to make some changes, we can help them figure out how to manage it, and start on a plan to pay creditors. Please give us a call at 541-779-2273 if we can help.