It seems as though so many people are getting married this Summer. Maybe I'm just getting older, and it's just what people my age do when they get to this age. Forget having any real financial security or a true career path ahead of you. Heck, most of the people who I know that are getting married aren't even finished up with their schooling yet. How is it that these people are going to go on to afford to live as a couple, with a house, a mortgage, cars, bills, and maybe even a family sometime soon? Things like this really blow my mind. It's actually sometime that has been on my mind a lot lately as I think about my brother and soon-to-be-sister-in-law as well as my best friend as his fiancee, as both couples will be tying the knot within the next six weeks or so. It seemed pretty appropriate that I happened to come across an article that was discussing the necessity for couples who are on the road to marriage to discuss and outline a plan for their financial futures preferably before they walk down the aisle. The article discusses how many young couples who get caught up in all the happy things surrounding marriage never really get into talking about their future finances because such talk is very taboo, especially in our culture and society here in the United States. Sure, we talk about our careers, our neighbors, and even our sex lives comfortably, but stepping into the discussion of money just doesn't happen. It's hard to believe that that subject is more personal to Americans than just about anything else in our lives. No one wants to share how much they make, what kinds of bills they have to pay, or even the amount of their credit card balance. I have to admit, a discussion about some of these things feels like it would be pretty intense, and it's surely not something that you want to get into when planning a wedding. Unfortunately what seems to happen is that many newlyweds end up married and then immediately, within a month or two of their wedded bliss, have to tackle financial issues head on, which obviously interrupts the romance of the honeymoon period. Perhaps this is why someone coined the phrase, "the honeymoon is over." They surely could have been talking about money. Let's face it...money is no picnic to deal with. From the time we are kids, most of us are taught to deal with our money in a certain manner, or at least we learn about what to do or not to do with our money according to how it is dealt with by our parents and family. We tend to inherit these financial characteristics much like any other traits, genetic or otherwise, that our parents or guardians have exposed us to. For better or for worse, if you are going to marry someone, or even have a solid long-term relationship with someone where you are responsible for sharing financial obligations, it's better to start earlier rather than later in learning, accepting, and maybe even compromising on your spouse or partner's financial tendencies or expectations. These are the types of things that, if you can decide upon before exchanging rings and vows, you will surely have a less rocky road ahead of you. I was surprised to read that such a high percentage of weddings end during the first year due to irreconcilable differences pertaining to money. That seems like it would be motivation enough for young couples to nip financial concerns in the bud before making any set plans for the big day.

Sure, I'm not married yet, but if I was planning to be, I think that I'm the kind of person who would want to tackle these types of problems before things got too serious. If you and your boyfriend or girlfriend can't have a joint cellular phone plan and, I don't know, switch off on payments every other month with success, then chances are you are in for long-term problems. Many of you more conservative folks out there will probably hang me out to dry for saying this, but if I was on the road to marriage, I would surely want to try living together and sharing financial responsibilities before being legally bound to someone. That just seems like a wise move in this day and age when things like student loans and potentially crazy credit card payments loom over the heads of many newly married couples. Just my opinion of course...