"Till Debt Do Us Part" Mary Loftus

Marrying someone is an agreement to accept their past and if people are financially aware and active, most of us will be in debt by the time we are ready to marry someone. But, this does not mean that you should not get married. Although it is hard for people to try and not control their spouse's spending, it is most likely not possible. People who get married have to except the way that the person handles their money and do not necessarily have to share bank accounts. 

Yet, it is not right for a person to spend someone else's money in an unproductive way. If a woman was to have a child and wanted to spend some time away from her work in order to raise the child, she should not be denied that right because it is not fair to the child to have to be raised by a nanny of some sort just because the father is stubborn. But, if a spouse is just frivolously spending the other's money and is not contributing, then maybe the person should have considered who they are marrying a little more closely. 

From my own experience, yes money is a huge factor when it comes to a relationship. Even in the beginning before you think about marrying someone, you cannot be with someone who is not a wise spender because this will reflect on their future spending and you would not want to be paying that price when your money is shared and you worked very hard for it. It is hard not to try and suggest ways for your partner to spend the money because you know that that money could be used in a way that would benefit you both. The author says that people have been marrying late which is why they bring debt into the relationship and this is not true. I have debt even right now and I am only 19 years old. I have been working for a few years now and I know about money because I had to get acquainted with it quicker than most kids my age which are just handed money from their parents. So, from this I learned about the importance of money and the reality of debt and people really do need to keep in mind that they have to put their interests first so maybe keeping a separate bank account is not necessarily a bad thing. The author seems to suggest that women and men should have their shared bank accounts and their own accounts just because they never know if they will split up or not, so even though you trust your partner, you must always have a way support yourself should you need it.