<prompt> Human: Hey all,Im a 29 year old college student with an income of approximately 25,000, credit score of about 600 and approximately 5,000 in debt, not including student loans. My girlfriend is a 34 year old occupational therapist with an income of approximately 90,000, credit score of about 800 and zero debt. We are currently expecting a child in November and have talked extensively about marriage. However we were both concerned how that would affect our finances. We both love each other very much but are trying to be practical about this. I am in the process of paying off the debt and fixing my credit but we were concerned how my bad credit would affect her good credit? Also we were thinking how our income taxes would be affected? I get money back on my taxes for being a student and we were under the impression that being a single mother she may or may not get some similar incentives on her taxes? Pardon the ignorance of tax laws and such. We are very grateful for any help available. Thank you. Assistant: My husband and I just got married last year and talked extensively about finances, debts, and pre-nuptial agreements. Here is my advice for you to take or leave:- Choose to get married because you really want to marry that person; not because of financial reasons. Finances can change on a dime.- If one or both of you has substantial assets or debts prior to the marriage, it is smart to hire a lawyer and consider getting a pre-nup. This would help protect anything you obtained prior to getting married such as an inheritance or 401k. Someone with more legal experience than I do can correct me, but I dont think personal debts obtained before marriage apply to the spouses credit. A pre-nup can help direct the terms of your individual debts, though, and help protect the spouse without debt.Having a kid prior to marriage can also be a good reason to get a pre-nup, since the two of you can think through parental conditions in case of divorce while youre still happy with each other. Reddit will be quick to tell you that dads sometimes have a difficult time with custody; a pre-nup that you both agree to while you are happy with each other could help protect your parental rights later if you ended up getting a divorce.- All Ill say about taxes is you might get more money back by being legally married, but that depends on your situation. Im not a parent, so I dont know anything about kids and taxes.- Finally, before getting married, discuss your spending habits and personal views towards saving, spending, etc. Money disagreements can kill a marriage. Marriage is both a romantic union and a business partnership. If you have different views towards money management, there could be serious conflict down the road. Better to know now than later. Also, be 100 forthcoming with each other about all your assets and debts. These are all things you have a right to know about before agreeing to marry them.Human: Thank you for the advice. She does own a home which is a substantial asset but we havent ever considered a prenuptial agreement. Did you get a pre nup? That seems like a hard talk to have. I know I have to be an adult and see all sides but just wondering how your conversation regarding the pre nup went?  <response>: Especially if theres a house that she bought independently, Id be surprised if she didnt want a pre-nup, since a pre-nup would serve as legal evidence that only she paid for it.yes, my husband and I got a prenup. We both had some investments but no house or kids and mutually felt it would be worth it to pay for a pre-nup and work it out ahead of time. When we decided we wanted to get married, I was nervous about bringing up the topic and was trying to think through the nicest way to broach it. I was pleasantly surprised that he actually brought it up before I had the chance to. It turns out we both were worried the other would be offended. We both tend to be pragmatic, so it wasnt difficult once the topic was broached. I feel lucky about that - I know there are a lot of other couples who have disagreements about prenups.Another prenup tip: if you choose to get one, the way it works is, one person hires a lawyer who represents that persons best interests and writes the legal document. Once a draft is done, the other person can either review it themselves or hire a different lawyer at a different firm to make sure the conditions are fair. Once both sides agree, you both sign the contract, but you arent obligated to sign it until you feel its fair. 