Wither thou go-est...into credit problems?

weirdoactor — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 09:00:49 -0800

Help! I need tips for cleaning up my credit before I get hitched. I have "not-good" credit; not particularly bad, but definitely not good. My debt is probably around $1200, between owed charge-offs and fees. I’ve been paying off my debt as quickly as possible; the creditors are sadly quite unhelpful, not sending me invoices when I request them (either by mail or fax), or sending me notices when I have paid off the debt(s).

My fiancée has good/very good credit. I don't want my smelly credit to stink up her good credit when we get married.

She wants to marry me ASAP in a civil ceremony (we'll still get married "for real" in front of family next year) so that I can benefit from her great health insurance. As I have at least two major undiagnosed medical conditions for which I could most definitely use health insurance; I’m all for that, with the caveat that I clear up my credit and get a clean report from all three major credit agencies prior to tying the knot.

She’s keeping her last name, and I think we’ll be filing taxes separately next year (and possibly future years, but that’s a question/discussion for another time).

Questions:

- What are the “time factors” regarding credit and marriage?
- How soon do you show up as a “couple/married/joined credit file”, if such things exist?
- Does the fact that she won’t be using my last name affect that sort of thing?
- Could we get married, with me continuing my current credit cleaning pace (my goal is to have all charge-offs/amounts owed paid by February), and not have her be affected by my credit?

Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks!

What should I do about my credit card debt?

Anonymous — Tue, 28 Dec 2004 15:39:46 -0800

Four credit cards. Two owned by the same company. Total debt about 70,000. No mortgage. No student loans. No job. No car. No kids. No rent for the next few months. I I could work for seven+ years to pay it off. I could quit paying. Interest is more than $300 a month. I have been paying one card with another for a year or two when I was out of work. Bankruptcy isn't something I wanted. Interest rates going up. My question is 'what happens'? Collections, harassment, embarrassment, garnishment? What's that like? Is that a fair price to pay for a fresh start? I get lost wanting to understand the spiritual significance of fractional reserve lending systems. If you have any perspective/experience on what its like to quit paying, this would help me see more clearly what I think I'm headed for. I guess my big concerns are collections people. How long does it take before my bank account gets seized? Can I still use it? Will they call my parents? Call me at work? Visit me? My bills go to a pobox and I my phone is a voicemail box. I just thought I could do something better with my life than give up another eight years to this. Don't ask where the money went. It's all been used wisely and judiciously.

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Wither thou go-est...into credit problems?

What should I do about my credit card debt?