Wedding bliss and buzz kills

By Dian Vujovich

June. Even though it’s the month many associate with weddings, it’s not the only month when plenty of “I do’s” are said. Turns out August, September and October are also high on the when-weddings-happen list. But no matter what time of year a couple chooses to marry, they’d be wise to consider a few other things –besides selecting a date—before tying that knot. The divorce rate and money are two that come to mind.

Let’s start with divorce stats.

Reports on what percentage of marriages end in divorce typically range somewhere between 40- and 50-something percent. That said, the odds of a divorce ruining your dreams of building a life together vary greatly depending upon how many times you marry.

First marriages carry with them the lowest divorce rate, 41 percent, choose to try it again and the chances that marriage will end are much higher—60 percent. While the third time is the charm cliché may be cute, 73 percent of third marriages end in d-land. All this according to online data from family law attorneys, McKinley Irvin.

No wonder Zsa Zsa Gabor married so many times—9 to be specific. Given the data, the likelihood of any lasting very turned south after the first.

As for same-sex marriages, the picture isn’t much rosier.

From a McKinley Irvin blog dated October 2012: “ About 1 percent of the total number of currently married same-sex couples gets divorced each year, in comparison to about 2 percent of married straight couples.”

Back to monthly comparisons, January happens to be the month when most divorce papers are filed.

If you’d like to improve the likelihood of your marriage lasting, the best place to begin is with like money minds. So no matter how many billions or hundreds of dollars you have, or, how delightfully romantic hoping, planning and the thought of being married can be, the bottom line is this: Marriage is actually more of a long-term business relationship than it is anything else.

With that in mind, I received an email from Joshua Kadish, a life transition specialist who came up with 10 things one ought to know about their intended before taking the plunge.

Titled “ 10 Things to Know About Your Fiancé’s Finances” Kadish’s suggests learning about each of the following before marrying: Their credit score; yearly income, savings, debts, bank accounts, health insurance coverage, budgeting (skills), work benefits, retirement accounts, and financial goals.

Okay, while the list is likely to be a buzz kill for the starry-eyed, decide to get the facts on each and I’ll guarantee you’ll either put off marrying or begin your marriage on sounder ground.

Trust me on this.