Be more successful by combining finances after marriage

  Once you make the commitment of marriage, it's a good idea not to hide anything from your spouse. Sit down with your spouse and make plans to consolidate debt and start a long term savings plan. Combine accounts like savings and credit cards. I would make checking accounts joint also. This makes it more necessary to discuss big purchases together. The idea here is to make sure both of you have skin in the game. When one partner is responsible for utility bills the other has no incentive to turn off lights or lower the thermostat. In another example, if only one spouse pays the mortgage it cuts their chances to pay down that debt sooner and reduce loan costs. In the long run combining finances will make it easier to plan and stick to a budget. Living a more frugal life by planning things together leads to huge savings over years and decades. Finwiz.