would you marry someone with bad credit?

i've been with my BF for 6yrs now everyone always asks us when r we getting married i usually laugh it off then change the subject. truth is i'm so paranoid about my credit. when i was younger i totally destroid it. i spent years trying to fix it. now its up to the 700 and i worked hard for that. but my boyfriend has bad credit...very bad. He has school loans he hasnt paid off, credit cards, phone, pg&e and hospital bills, all totalling over 10,000. now i know if we get married his credit becomes mine and my score will go back down. i wanna buy a house before i turn 30...im 27 now it will take years for him to fix his credit and mine..if we get married. now what i'm thinking is we have a wedding, reception and honeymoon and all that, we just wont be legally married. my friends and family all say no, but truthfully i'm so worried about my credit. advise please....

Public Comments

1. Well if you can't do any better... you either LIVE ALONE... or Settle. I think that's what it comes down to.
2. No u shouldn't worry about that right now!
3. Nope, but I would have sex with someone with bad credit
4. MY ex- worked intermittently at best. So we never used him on credit applications, houses and cards were in my name. His credit did not affect me. You can do it. The next thing you should do, after you get married is start getting his bills payed up. That means that you will have to handle the bill paying.
5. no then i would not have money he needs to be able to suport u
6. I would buy a house first. Being single and then get married and work on the credit together.
7. You are a smart girl. I agree with you I would also not get married to him and have the not legally married thing also. Having bad credit can be such a weight on a marriage and it will tear it apart anyway
8. baby it's the people that matters not the credit...You can improve your credit but if the person leaves you can never get them...
9. do you love him? if yes then marry him dont worry about the bull shit
10. i thought marriage was about love not money? But yea i would and i would try and help them get out of bad credit!
11. love is love what part of that has to do with money? Your thinking like an asian girl or a shallow white one
12. No you need to find someone else ok.
13. If you don't want to get married, then don't. You can just have your ceremony like you said and have your last name legally changed to his. It seems to be the best thing until he fixes up his credit.
14. Im in that boat too. My bf is like 30,000+ in debt and to top it all off he never even finished school! But my credit is just as bad, so...who knows. You know what I say? Debt is the American way......Shit....even our entire country is trillions in debt....dont sweat it.
15. If he is hot then definetley!!
16. LISTEN TO YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY. Both you and bf need to get all your credit cleaned up before you get married. Go to www.daveramsey.com and get his book "The Total Money Makeover". I will change how you think about money and get you started in the right direction. BELIEVE ME, if you don't get it cleaned up before you get married, it won't every change. Both of you must be engaged in this process of cleaning up the debt and staying debt-free. Good Luck
17. i would cause its hard to find love and bad credit can be repaired there will always be bills...if you die there will be bills...
18. yes
19. Technically, you are not obligated to list him as a purchaser when you buy a house. They will only count the buyer's credit rating. You can file your taxes separately so his credit won't affect you there either. You can be married on paper, but not financially. Also, has he tried debt consilidation? He might be able to get a loan from Prosper.com to pay off some of his debts at a lower interest rate than if he were to try a debt counselor. He could also try getting help from a credit clinic.
20. get married after he fixes up his credit or have him filre for bankruptcy.
21. Umm...his credit doesn't become yours until you apply for credit together and even then it's not really yours. His credit score will only affect you if you apply for a card/car/house/loan together. You can still have your credit score, which is very good......you seem to love the credit score more than the man???? Go girl!
22. Yes, I would if I loved the person. Credit should not matter.
23. Hate to say it, hun, but love can't fix this one. I don't think I'd marry someone with bad credit. I know what it's like to want and need things and can't get them (even though I haven't established my own credit yet). What I'm trying to say is DON'T DO IT GIRL!
24. You need to check into: depending on which State you are in, it might be that what is created BEFORE marriage --- stays on the individual and / or be able to get something from the courts to keep his debts seperate........ Consider the LONG ENGAGEMENT.........and qualify for the house on your own................then marry Him and his credit (or lack of) won't affect the closing............ ((check into income tax also -- before you make the legal connection))............. You ought to be able to contact an atty in your area for advice.
25. get a financial advisor to work out a plan for paying off the credit. You both take responsibility for paying off and working on your budget. Buy only necessary things, no luxury or impulsive buying - you do not need to compete with your neighbours. You will see - that eventually you will get out of debt. Do you need a big wedding? You can have a small one and still have the trimmings...
26. have you ever heard the expression..we can do it together..if you love him and want to marry him you will and can help each other over come financies. as long as you love and support each other. if you did a survey of how many people have a bad credit history with out any ccjs. youll find a huge responce. people should not be critisied by there past financial situations. and why has this become such a large issue to you..is your b/f the same does he panick the same. or does he live for today and happy at what hes got. did he tell you he wouldnt marry you because you were in debt once. think about this situation in a different positive way you may come up with a solution...good luck.
27. Just don't marry this guy. His problems will become yours once your married. You will have nothing but heartache and a burden on your shoulders. Not any ordinary burden; we're talking ruining your life burden! If he is this deep in debt he will also become a freeloader and will use all your money also. There are a million men on this earth just like there are fish in the sea. He's not the only guy around and you can do better. You should find someone who is more matched to you financially. You've improved yourself and deserve a new beginning financially. He hasn't. You will have nothing but a life of misery with this man if you marry him. Go ahead and buy yourself a house; but whatever you do, don't put the house in his name. Make sure it is in your name only. Don't goof up and please follow my advice. You will not regret it.
28. love is one thing. if u cant work and make life together its not worth it. let him settle first.
29. no
30. i don't think any of his pre-existing credit problems can venture to your report just because you share the same name legally. if they do by error get put on yours, just tell them it is an old account only in his name, and they will have to remove it within 30 days. the only way his credit becomes yours is if u open a joint account. the only real problem i see here is that he needs to know that's how u feel, and u need to be willing to put all major purchases, such as the house under ur name, because they won't consider his if it's too bad. if i were u i would not let it stop me from marring him, i just wouldn't let him take out a loan under my credit at least until he make an effort to fix his and whatever loans or anything that was recieved from a credit check on you-keep in your name only (ex-only put the house under ur name). U will just have to keep seperate finances until he improves his credit report/spending style. also u can check to see if the state ur in is a common-law state, if so for the past 6 yrs, everything u have done is 50/50 anyway if u live together, might as well be married
31. Like you said, you will share the same credit history as he does. Do you really want to destroy something you worked so hard at? I'd tell him to take a hike and keep looking. He sounds like a real loser.
32. i think he comes "as is" and you have to think about if you really love him or not. you can make major purchases in just your name so that the credit history is good. he can go bankrupt and in 3-5 years he will start to get offers for low interest credit with no annual or monthly fees again. good luck!