Vivian Tu's 4 Money Questions Every Couple Must Ask Before Marriage

"A listener wrote in to Vivian Tu's podcast Networth and Chill with a story that should be required reading before anyone combines finances with a partner. She had paid off her partner's truck and credit card debt. Two weeks later, he left her. Because the assets were entirely in his name, she had no legal claim to any of it. "You don't even own part of the truck," Tu told the listener."

"Tu, a former Wall Street trader turned financial educator, has four questions every couple should answer out loud before any major financial entanglement. Skipping any one of the four questions can turn relationships into financial fire sales, she said. Question 1: What Do You Make? Get the actual annual income number on the table. Not a range. Not "around six figures." Not "it varies." A real, pre-tax dollar figure, Tu said."

"Question 2: What Do You Have? Pull up the statements together. Checking, savings, brokerage, 401(k), IRA, HSA, equity in the car, equity in the home. Screenshots count. Verbal estimates do not, Tu advised. The listener's story provides a good example of the risks. She paid down liabilities tied to assets she did not legally own. Marriage and shared accounts change the ownership picture, but only for what is titled jointly or acquired during the marriage in most states."

"Question 3: What Do You Owe? Every loan. Every card. Every balance. Student loa"

A listener paid off a partner’s truck and credit card debt, then the partner left two weeks later. The assets were titled entirely in his name, leaving no legal claim for her. A financial educator recommends four questions couples answer out loud before major financial entanglement. Couples should state actual annual pre-tax income as a specific dollar number. They should list all assets using account statements, including checking, savings, brokerage, retirement accounts, and equity, and avoid relying on verbal estimates. They should inventory all debts and balances. They should also align on financial goals and how spending, saving, and repayment decisions will be handled together.

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