This is part of our Pay Debt Quickly series sponsored by
PDQ Pay Debt Quickly kit.

Question: My fiancee has a lot of debt. I’ve already helped her get out of some of it, but I’m not sure if this is a good situation to be married to. What should I do? ~ Sheldon

Answer: Hi Sheldon, you’re right to be concerned! I’m sure many of our readers can give you some good advice. (Readers can comment below).

My advice is for you to be very concerned. I have lots of divorcing couples in my office who say “I paid off his/her debt before we got married.”

Here are some questions for you to think about:

• How did she get the debt?
• What has she done to get out of it?
• What is she doing now to get debt free?
• Has she changed her money behaviors?

If she’s continuing the patterns that got her in to debt and looking for outside help (you), it’s a situation that will probably not get any better and you might find yourself in my office looking for divorce financial help.

Please encourage your fiancee to straighten things out before you commit to the marriage and if she’s unwilling, “RUN“. We all know the statistics on what money problems do to a marriage. Set yourselves up for success, not failure.

I’d be happy to work with you, too. As a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst, I much prefer to help couples before they end up in divorce.

Warmly, Cindy Morus

P.S. A good book to read is David Bach’s Smart Couples Finish Rich.