You will read bridal magazines that only go so far as to discuss the wedding budget. You will attend bridal shows and it will be filled with vendors anxiously waiting for you to choose them over another competitor. If you take that much time reading, researching and planning for the day – WHY NOT take even more time PREPARING for a Marriage that can last a lifetime by getting life skills to maintain your marriage.

Why Bother addressing Money talk before Marriage? As a wife who came into her marriage with debt, got out of debt, dealt with buying a home, becoming a parent that has been married for more than 14 years, I AM going to BOTHER opening up this TOPIC. There is no reason why in 2010, money should be one of the top reasons for divorce with all the information, knowlege and access to resources.

Maybe you have watched relatives marriages end because of money (not that you got any of the details), or you have listened to girlfriends come and cry on your shoulder because of their spouse’s spending (believe me that was only one side of the story). Here is your opportunity to not be the one going to a girlfriend to cry on her shoulder. Instead be the example to those girlfriends, family members and even colleagues that are watching and begin talking about money today.

The next time you review your BRIDAL REGISTRY – add Money Talk Before The Commitment Walk and The Debt Stops At The Altar to your registry. This is a gift that keeps on giving throughout the marriage because you can listen to it over and over, do the exercises and more. Or if you would like to get premarital financial counseling, you can contact me through this website.

I was a bride that had debt and was coming to the marriage having made financial mistakes. One thing that might be different between you and me is that my fiance and I talked about our financial mistakes and pasts prior to getting married. Did that make it easier? It did somewhat because there were no secrets going in. What was hard was sharing that I had made financial mistakes.

I knew that I could not be surprised by a phone call or getting several bills in the mail that belonged to him because we shared about our finances. Why bother sharing about money and learning how to talk about it? One good reason is because if you do not and financial secrets become revealed, trust is broken in the marriage. If you don’t get anything ELSE from this post – GET THIS trust is hard to get back once it is broken. In some marriages, it is never gotten back and they end in divorce.

Trust can be gotten back; however it is not just based on your words but also your actions. So why even put your upcoming marriage on the line by having financial secrets. It is NOT WORTH IT!

You decide – financial secrets, your looking over your shoulder, stress and marital strain because of money which leads to arguments and even going to bed mad. Furthermore, silence can become the norm in your marriage because any conversation centered around money leads to a BIG BLOW UP!

Learn how to talk about money before getting married today. I encourage you to list Money Talk Before The Commitment Walk and The Debt Stops At The Altar on your bridal registry or even share with your parents that you are interested in getting premarital financial counseling and add that in your wedding budget. Getting premarital financial counseling now could very well keep you from having to borrow money from your parents later.

Take your engagement to a new level like never before.

Why bother learning how to read and write?
Why bother learning how to drive a car?
Why bother getting a high school education?
Why bother going to college?
Why bother applying for a job?
Why bother sizing up who you are going to date?
Why bother dreaming about your wedding day?
Why bother having a wedding planner?

Of course that vendor rubbed me wrong and I decided to run with the comment. Think about it why do you learn how to drive a car, or why do you use a wedding planner, why do you dream about the wedding day…

I understand the message has not been communicated on a LARGE SCALE that you should be focusing on Money Talk Before Getting married because everyone is thinking about the wedding dress, the party, the cake, and more. Be honest with yourself – are you prepared if one of you becomes unemployed either before the wedding or afterwards? How would you handle a spouse making financial mistakes that impact the marriage? If one of you has more debt and the other spouse has none, how do you handle it?

Those are only some of the reasons that you BOTHER talking about money before walking down the aisle and taking those VOWS. Your VOWS should not be taken lightly. It seems as if couples are not taking their vows seriously especially when it comes to For Richer or For Poorer, For Better or For Worse. They only want the good and bail out when the bad comes.

Another reason you should BOTHER is “According to a survey by the Association of Bridal Consultants, MORE THAN 67% of newlyweds believe the most serious conflict in their first year of marriage is over money!!

Do you value your upcoming marriage ENOUGH to learn how to talk about money now? If so, go to www.moneytalkmatters.com/products and INVEST in your copy of Money Talk Before The Commitment Walk and The Debt Stops At The Altar financial education program that you can use throughout your marriage.

Notice I said INVEST – Some of you expect to invest thousands on a dress or even for the complete wedding. What are you willing to invest to ensure you and your mate know how to communicate about money throughout the marriage instead of divorcing because of money?

Listen to this interview and be ready to take action. Marcus and Gloria are great examples of a “TEAM” and keeping it real. They know life happens and it is all about how you handle situations.

When couples get married it does not mean that you have to lose yourself including financially because you are married. I am not saying that either spouse should have an account where money is kept hidden from each other in case you decide you want to bail out on the marriage. The message I want to convey is this, prior to your uniting your finances was your responsibility whether you handled them good, bad or indifferent. Once you are married, those finances are still yours, good, bad or indifferent. Whether or not you and your mate choose to open joint accounts is another discussion that should be had and a decision should be made.

Should spouses have a separate account. I believe spouses should have a separate account in addition to whatever they have decided regarding joint accounts. My husband and I have a separate account that we use to pamper each other and have some extra that we can pamper ourselves that does not hinder the household finances. What does that do for the marriage? That removes stress from the marital finances because in every relationship there is a shopper and a saver. If the shopper gets out of hand and now they are unable to pay all the bills, the saver (if they are the money manager) will not be happy.

If the husband and wife also have a joint account, then they know that one person is not shouldering all the financial responsibility. There is nothing wrong with dependence within balance. Seems to me as if there are spouses (whether husband or wife) that could be losing their life and identity once they become married. There are husbands and wives that have given up jobs and stay at home for one reason or another and that does impact the marital finances.

When financial issues arise the amount of stress it places on a marriage can affect so many areas of their life – relationships, employment, credit and much more. I would encourage all couples to do what is best for them. Develop a financial plan for your marriage and work your plan, even if you have been married for numerous years. You can start today right where you are.

I encourage brides and grooms to get done in the most economical fashion where there will be no regrets when they look back on their wedding day. This can set an interesting tone for your marriage.

Brides and grooms must be careful not to Bankrupt the bridal party. Be up front with them and let them know of the required expenditures which could also play in their part to attend the wedding or not.

Read the article and weigh in. What do you think and what have you done so that your bridal party is not bankrupt?