Should we postpone marriage until we are debt-free?

Published: May 24, 2018

Dave Ramsey

Dear Dave,
My fiancé and I are planning to be married in less than a year. We’ve both been through your class at church, and the other night we started wondering if we should wait to have the wedding until we’re both completely debt-free. Would you give us your opinion?
Michelle

Dear Michelle,

Congratulations! I hope you two will have long and happy lives together.

To answer your question, I don’t think there’s a reason to wait. When two people know they really love each other, they should get married whenever they feel in their hearts the time is right.

At this point, you shouldn’t be thinking about money as anything except an indicator of where you’re going. It doesn’t matter who got into debt or how, because everyone makes mistakes. But if you’re both serious about getting out of debt, living on less than you make, and are in agreement about how the dollars are going to be handled, then — where money is concerned — you’re ready to be married.

Many relationship experts say if a couple can agree on four important things — kids, money, religion, and how to handle the in-laws — they have a great statistical chance of a happy marriage. I believe this, too. And make sure you meet with your pastor for some good, pre-marital counseling before the big day. With all this going for you, I think you two will be okay.

God bless you both!
—Dave

Dave Ramsey has authored seven best-selling books, including “The Total Money Makeover.” The Dave Ramsey Show is heard by more than 13 million listeners each week on 585 radio stations and multiple digital platforms.