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5 Important Financial Discussions to Have When You’re Engaged

Love may or may not be in the air, but it’s been in the news a lot lately, with the recent engagement of Prince Harry and American actress Meghan Markle. If you’re half of an engaged couple, you may naturally find yourself drawn to their love story and wonder how these two crazy kids are going to make it on their own.

OK, they probably will end up doing just fine. But what about you? Have you discussed joint bank accounts? Or one of you getting life insurance? Or where you’re going to live, and how you’re going to pay off those student loans and credit card debt? Plenty of people aren’t comfortable talking about money, and it may seem presumptuous to discuss how you’ll spend money in a marriage if nobody’s popped the question yet.

It’s understandable if you haven’t talked much about money yet, but once you’re engaged, you’ve run out of excuses. When you do the money talk, you’ll want to have a conversation about these five topics.

[See: 6 Ways to Treat Yourself on a Budget.]

Money secrets. Actually, it’s well past the time to discuss anything big you’ve been holding back, like thousands of dollars of credit card debt or back taxes or whatever financial skeletons you’re hiding. But if you are still hiding something, the sooner you bring it up, so you can start fixing the problems together, the better.

“Now is also the time to disclose any ghosts in the closet, so to speak, like debt, student loans and credit scores,” says Brandon Redman, a financial planner with Securian Advisors Northwest in Seattle.

This isn’t easy to discuss, which is why you may want to try something that Redman says he has seen newly engaged couples do: Go on a money date, where you go out for an evening with the specific goal of talking about money.

Bank accounts. Many financial experts suggest keeping bank accounts and money separate even once you’re married, but once you’ve exchanged wedding vows, Redman makes a persuasive argument for going the conventional route and combining your income as long as there isn’t a compelling reason not to.

“When money is kept separate, the arguments around, ‘That’s your bill to pay,’ or, ‘This is my income, so I’ll spend it how I want,’ can be truly destructive,” he says. “Having some, or all, of your income deposited into a joint checking or savings account can create a financial relationship that is more like a partnership versus an adversarial standoff.”

So while you don’t have to do anything now, you may want to start discussing which bank you want to use, unless you both use the same one.

[See: 12 Ways to Be a More Mindful Spender.]

Your financial goals. After all, what if you both have completely opposite financial goals? Better to learn and discuss your financial expectations, hopes and dreams now, according to Colette Lopane-Capella, a licensed mental health counselor and couples’ therapist with a private practice in Larchmont, New York and the Bronx.

She suggests talking about your goals for the future, if you haven’t yet. Some of the questions you should be asking, she says, include: Do you want to invest? Do you want to buy a home? Do you want kids, and does one of you want to be a stay-at-home parent?

“All of these questions are so essential for couples to discuss,” Lopane-Capella says.

There’s no right or wrong answer, but you need to talk about them — and you may want to start putting money away now for some of the goals. For instance, if you want kids, why not start a college fund now? Or you may want to buy a life insurance policy for both of you or make sure you both have retirement accounts set up.

Who the banker in the family will be. Maybe you’ll divvy up the bills, where one of you is in charge of paying the mortgage and utilities while the other takes on the credit card payments and phone. Or maybe one of you pays all of the bills every month. But whatever the plan is, you’ll want to discuss some of this beforehand, if you want things to go smoothly later.

Still, for the big stuff, ideally you both will be involved, says Martha Menard, a financial wellness coach based out of Charleston, South Carolina.

“While I’m the CFO for my family and manage our longer term financial planning, my husband and I sit down once a month and go over where we are currently, and plan for the following month. We do the same thing from an annual perspective when we file taxes,” Menard says.

She adds that you may want to each have a set amount of money that you each can spend in a given amount of time, without the other’s involvement. Menard says that she and her husband do that.

“No questions asked and no judgment,” she says. But she adds that anything purchased over that set amount should be a joint decision.

[See: 7 Signs Your Romantic Partner Is Financially Unstable.]

Your wedding. We’ve saved the first money-related thing you’ll end up discussing for last. Your wedding day may be the most magical day of your life, but it also has the potential to be your most expensive, and so this is a swell springboard in which to start discussing money. Will your wedding be big? Small? Somewhere in between? Are you paying? Your parents? Your future in-laws? And if you are paying, how much are you both willing to pay, and if you don’t have the money you need, what then?

These can be stressful questions to ask and answer, but they have to be tackled; that wedding isn’t going to plan and pay itself.

Don’t go into debt planning your wedding,” advises Ryan Worthen, who runs Reel Special Productions with his wife, Brittany, in Lexington, Kentucky. They’re wedding videographers and also do pre-marriage mentoring.

“We’ve had clients take out loans to pay for our services,” Worthen says. And while he surely appreciates that gesture, Worthen says couples need to be careful that they don’t hock their future.

“As much as someone may treasure having an amazing wedding video, I doubt their retirement will be as luxurious as their wedding,” he says.

But here’s the good news. If you can plan your wedding and manage the money part of it without considering a divorce before the wedding, you two crazy kids probably have a long future ahead of you.

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5 Important Financial Discussions to Have When You’re Engaged originally appeared on usnews.com

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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