Emily S


My boyfriend and I have discussed marriage but one of my biggest concerns is his credit. He is working towards improving it, but I know this will take years. I have excellent credit. If we get married and do NOT have any joint accounts, seperate car loans, home in my name, seperate credit cards, etc, will his credit score have any effect on mine? Also if he continues to damage his credit after getting married, will that effect my credit score?

5 Responses to “What happens if I marry someone with bad credit?”

1. SmartA$$ on June 20th, 2009 9:11 am

   Your credit histories remain separate when you get married. The only thing to be concerned about is that joint accounts (including accounts where you co-sign for him) will be reported on both of your credit reports. Getting a joint account won’t hurt your credit at all as long as that account stays in good standing. But if he does something irresponsible to cause a problem on the account, it would be reported on your credit as well as his.

2. dfabbricante on June 21st, 2009 2:06 pm

   Yes and Yes. My advice is to not get married to someone to cannot handle their own finances.

3. Pandas4me on June 22nd, 2009 7:51 am

   I married a guy with bad credit and we ended up with everything in my name and then when we got divorced I ended up with all the bills and getting my credit ruined. If you buy something together they look at both your scores. I would wait on getting married until he gets his credit together and he can prove he doesn’t make the same mistakes again. Good Luck!

4. robert43041 on June 23rd, 2009 7:47 pm

   Your credit history is yours. The problem in the long run is that a marriage has a different set of rules. It’s not like you’re just living together as mates, so even if you keep all the financial things separate such a union does not sound like a very good one to me (plus the number one cause for divorce always has to do with money).

5. Noma Z on June 27th, 2009 7:31 am

   Emily S, I recommend you visit a local credit rebuilding company. They should have some programs for you.

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