Getting Married

Marriage has huge emotional benefits—and financial advantages. Married couples filing a joint tax return may pay less in taxes. In addition, if you both have employee benefits, you may be able to choose the best benefits.

Start talking

Don't put off talking about money. Start talking and get to know each other's spending habits, including credit card use. Share your financial details, goals and concerns.

Open up

Be honest about debts or other uncomfortable details. This is the time to get a handle on how to better manage debt, and to create a plan to pay it down.

Start a plan

How will you pay bills, split expenses, combine accounts, and so on? Communicate with each other. Try our calculator tools to help you figure out how much to spend each month and set aside for saving. And of course don't forget to budget for the fun things like the wedding and honeymoon!

Build credit

Learn to understand what your credit score means and ways to manage your individual credit histories. Get started with these helpful articles in "Borrowing Smart".