financial tips for engaged couples?

It would be better to wait until your finance completes his education before you get married. I know this is not what you probably want to hear but it is difficult to pay for school, work and build a marriage at the same time. If you do proceed on your schedule to get married both could work and save money so that he can go back to college. There are student loans and grants available, but that will add additional debt. You don’t want to go into more debt to finish your education. It would be much better if he could take a class or two at a time and work. By paying for his classes as he takes them he will not be adding an aditional burden of debt to your relationship. There are so many marriages that fail due to financial difficulties. If you both work it will be much easier for him to take classes part time. If you do that I suggest you resist going into any unnecessary debt until he finishes his degree. There are on line degrees you can take but they are expensive. Physically going to class will require him spending time traveling to school and doing homework. Graduate programs are time intensive. Most require research papers to be completed prior to graduation. There are some couples where one works while the other goes to college. Money is likely to be tight. Personally, I think it is much better for couples to wait until they are self sufficient for a while before getting married. By moving out on your own and paying your own way you learn the value of money and how to work within a budget. I know some college graduates who are having a difficult time finding a job after graduation. You don’t want to get married and immediately start having financial difficulties. You should both have money saved to help in your transition from being single to being a couple. I suggest you both sit down together and put a budget together. Engaged couple often discuss most everything but money. You need to see how each handles their finances. If you both are spenders you are in already in trouble. If one is a spender and the other a saver then you will likely have some conflicts to over come. If both are savers then you will stand a good chance of doing well in the financial arena. When you sit down and discuss finances you should be completely honest with one another. Talk about your attitude. At some point you are likely to want to buy a house and start a family. Those are events which should be planned. I would buy the home prior to starting a family. Both will be expensive. To be honest, I don’t understand why you would be getting married before either of you get your degrees. It is only a few months longer to complete your degrees and it will make a major difference in your potential income. One of both may need to relocate for the new job. It would be much better to wait for at least a year after graduation before you get married. Neither of you can afford to live on your own right now. I don’t understand how you expect to live as a couple if you cannot pay your way before hand. I am sure you don’t want to hear this but you both need to sit down and really look at your finances and how you plan on existing once you get married. Good luck.