One of the big things that happens when you get married is that you start thinking about joining all your accounts. You’re one family now, right? It just seems wrong to many people to keep separate accounts.

But that is not necessarily the best of ideas.

It can work, and work well in many situations. But it is not right for every situation. And you shouldn’t even be taking into consideration whether or not you think your relationship will last forever. You probably wouldn’t have gotten married if you weren’t thinking forever. But you should always consider the what-ifs.

Like what if one of you dies? Will the other still have a credit history to fall back upon, or just joint accounts? Make sure there are some individual accounts, just for safety. Both parties do need to have some credit history in just their own name.

You will also want to consider what will happen to each person’s credit score if you do join everything up. Suddenly all the mistakes of one relate to both. If you’re about equal, this isn’t too bad a thing, but if one is significantly lower it can make more sense to keep the accounts separate. This way you can use that account to apply for the things that really need a lower APR, such as when you buy a car.

Being married often impacts both credit accounts anyhow. You probably will have joint banking, and if your family is struggling to pay the bills, that’s going to show when you pay your debts, or more precisely, when you find you can’t. Do your best to manage all accounts well and fairly for both parties.

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