Credit and financial history or condition is something that people rarely consider when trying to find Mr. or Ms. Right. All they're really looking at is the appearance, personality and chemistry of the person they're interested in. Little do they know just how much the credit rating of someone ELSE can affect THEM. This is something that few people even discuss; at least not at first. Of course, how romantic a conversation like THAT would be when first meeting or on a first date! So it's not something that comes up very often; if at all.
When you're just dating each other, credit ratings may not matter so much. After all, it's not like it's going to affect you at that point in time. However, before moving in or consenting to walk down the aisle with a person, his or her credit history should DEFINITELY be a priority topic of conversation. While it may sound, again, very unromantic, it's something that needs to be discussed so that you at least know what you're facing in that area.
The reason that your partner's credit history is so important in YOUR life is because of the way it will reflect on you, personally. Once you're legally bound to another person, you take on their problems, too. For instance, if your intended hasn't filed taxes in 3 years prior to meeting you, once you say "I do," those tax liabilities can rebound onto you. If you're filing jointly, any refund that you may have been expecting to get will go directly into taking care of any unpaid taxes your spouse may have. It's something you should definitely speak to an accountant about so that you know what your options are. Filing single may keep you out of hot water but you won't be certain until you seek professional advice.
Another problem that can crop up for you when you marry someone with atrocious credit is that you may have problems buying things on credit even though YOUR credit is great. You almost have to have pristine credit with no blemishes at all before a spouse's credit history won't affect you. This means that you probably won't be buying anything major, such as a house or vehicle, jointly. This can actually extend to such things as apartment rentals and utilities. Everything may end up going in your name. You may THINK this isn't a problem but it makes you fully responsible for all bill paying for the two of you because your spouse is like a credit infant.
Do you really want to have to be the one to always be held responsible for absolutely everything the two of you own or use together? It's certainly something to think about before getting rings on your fingers. Consider that, on paper at least, you'll still be pretty much single since your spouse cannot appear on anything due to horrific credit. You can't even add this person to your bank account in most instances, although that may not be such a bad thing in the long run.