Most Nigerians strongly believe the misconception that marriage often brings misfortune. This statement is not only untrue but bias. It is common practice (especially in the eastern part of Nigeria) for a man who had been doing well in business and financially to suddenly go broke after few months or years of marriage. While most may be quick to point fingers at the spouse, such misfortune is inevitable when you enter marriage blindly without having vital details about your spouse which could affect your finances one way or the other.
Marriage is meant to be a “forever gig”. This is why you need to take utmost care in choosing who to finally settle with. All romantic fantasies aside, these are 5 things you need to know about your partner’s finance before you tie the knot and how they might affect you in the near future.
- INDEBTEDNESS; with the struggle to meet your daily needs as well as save a substantial amount, you definitely do not need the added expense that is your partner’s debt. You want to make sure that your partner is neither indebted nor prone to debt. Tying the knot with someone who is up to their necks in debt could be disastrous for your finances. I once heard a typical ‘he got married and went broke’ story and upon further investigation I found out that the man married a girl without knowing the amount of debt she had accrued over the years. By the time he was done paying off her debts, he was struggling. I’m certain you don’t want to be found in such a situation.
- DEPENDANTS; in a country like ours where you supposedly marry not only your spouse but your in-laws, you need to figure out how many people depend on your spouse. How many people he/she would need to support, how capable they are, and how their dependence on your spouse might affect you financially; these are things that should concern you.
- CAREER PROSPECTS; your spouses’ career or career prospects directly affect yours. You should think about how resourceful their career is, travel requirements and how it’ll affect your job, is your spouse ambitious, and is he/she a go-getter or a slacker. Think along these lines and you’ll be able to at least see which direction you are headed.
- MEDICAL STATUS; a friend of mine married a guy who had hepatitis C (unknowingly). Few months into the marriage and they noticed that it had eaten into his liver. In less than two months I witnessed their fortune dwindle to nothing due to the cost of treatment he was undergoing. It is absolutely important to know the medical status of your partner before you take any step further.
- SPENDING HABITS; in most cases, people who spending a lot are not even aware of the fact. It easily becomes a habit as spending can be addictive. Take advantage of your courting period to observe your partner. Find out how they are with money. Does money trigger them to spend irrationally?
Nothing in life is set in stone. People are prone to change. It’s impossible to get a perfect match but you can at least try to get one who would build you up rather than drag you down. Armed with the above details about your spouse, you should be able to make a logical decision.
