We aren’t going to be subtle on this one: Our answer is, “Absolutely not.” Don’t marry your money until you are legally married. We have seen too many engagements end, leaving couples who have combined their money with the painful task of sorting it all out during an already difficult time.

Naturally, if you are heading toward marriage, you probably share your money with each other, but we’re talking about things like joint savings accounts, shared credit cards, retirement funds, and checkbooks. Combining these finances before you’ve created a legal union can create headaches you simply don’t need.

But just because you’re not sharing all your money doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be talking about it. We believe that strong financial communication has to start before you get married-hopefully before you even get engaged. If you are engaged or seriously dating someone and thinking about co-mingling your money along with your lives, plan a Money Huddle and talk about the six topics that will save your marriage before it has begun.

View this week’s Money Couple Minute to get all 6 answers HERE.