all downhill from here.....

[Sawin]

Defiantly keeping funds separate for now, figure that out if we end up married.

Gonna have to share a bathroom tho.

Even if you do get married, I don't think there's any reason to hurriedly combine your money... my wife and I simply opened a new joint account so we could each deposit the checks with both our names on them after the wedding, and I've started putting a few bucks in it here and there. She buys groceries and takes care of her car and clothes. I pretty much cover the rest. Not a lot has changed for me on the money front, which is a good thing as far as I'm concerned.

[Ghosty]

Having much experience in this dept over the years, I must offer this small bit of advice. The entire secret to domestic tranquility is separate bank accounts and bathrooms. Everything else will fall into place. :-)

Hahaa, excellent. Btw, signing a lease isn't nearly as big a deal as a joint mortgage though, so you're still relatively safe... I think...

[Jer]

Having much experience in this dept over the years, I must offer this small bit of advice. The entire secret to domestic tranquility is separate bank accounts and bathrooms. Everything else will fall into place. :-)

This is why my wife and I are still together when SO many of our friends have divorced.

[Jer]

Hahaa, excellent. Btw, signing a lease isn't nearly as big a deal as a joint mortgage though, so you're still relatively safe... I think...

You want REAL commitment? Get a dog together that you both love! I think more marriages would last longer if couples did this instead of having dogs. lol

[TFOGGER]

Congratulations?

Seriously, glad you two are happy, and hope you'll stay that way!

[MarkCO]

If you are not in it for the long haul, consult an attorney and both sign a declaration or in 6 months, the law does it for you...

[Ghosty]

Agree, I will want a pre-nup. Thankfully women are more receptive to it nowadays compared to decades ago when it was considered evil to ask. I will also want separate bank accounts, at least until well established for years and with kids.

[Inconel710]

Wow, so little faith in marriage anymore! Keeping everything separate so it's easier to divorce down the line, eh? If you're REALLY that worried it won't work out, don't move in together. You're not ready to commit and you need to be honest with yourself. You still haven't found the right woman.

[Jer]

Agree, I will want a pre-nup. Thankfully women are more receptive to it nowadays compared to decades ago when it was considered evil to ask. I will also want separate bank accounts, at least until well established for years and with kids.

Keep them separate even then. It's really easy to split the cost of things you both share but trying to agree on items that are just for one of you when you're money is combined is the type of thing that ruins marriages. My buddy and his wife combined their accounts and he was paying off her college bills from before they were even together and when it came time for a Tiger Woods video game to come out that we played ALL the time she wouldn't let him buy it. $60. Her college loans and debt are all paid off and they're no longer together. He never did get that $60 video game.

[MarkCO]

Keep them separate even then. It's really easy to split the cost of things you both share but trying to agree on items that are just for one of you when you're money is combined is the type of thing that ruins marriages. My buddy and his wife combined their accounts and he was paying off her college bills from before they were even together and when it came time for a Tiger Woods video game to come out that we played ALL the time she wouldn't let him buy it. $60. Her college loans and debt are all paid off and they're no longer together. He never did get that $60 video game.

Totally disagree! He just married the wrong person. I won't say marriage is easy, it is not, but when you set up your marriage to fail with the back door escape clause, well, you kind of get what you deserve. If she is not worth combining funds with, she is not worth having children with. It is not the money that causes any marriage to fail, it is the selfishness exhibited only by the fight over money.