Re:How Debt Can Destroy a Budding Relationship
by houseabsolute on Friday September 03, 2010 @07:51PM
(#1661544)
Then again, no amount of communication is going to completely negate the blow of someone with $200k or more debt who does not plan to earn enough to pay it off. There's a lesson in that . . . something like, "Don't buy expensive things unless you're sure you want them and can pay for them."
Re:How Debt Can Destroy a Budding Relationship
by danilocampos on Friday September 03, 2010 @08:14PM
(#1661584)
I mean, yeah. There's debt and then there's debt. But if you've got any chance at all of succeeding, you need to talk about this sooner rather than later.
Re:How Debt Can Destroy a Budding Relationship
by Mz on Saturday September 04, 2010 @08:52AM
(#1662596)
Well, I think one of the distinctions that has to be made is investment debt vs consumer debt. OP for this thread is talking about debt for education (an investment), which typically comes with the expectation that getting that education will increase their earning capacity. The scenario you describe implies consumer debt. Someone with $200k in consumer debt is a very different animal from someone with $100k in education debt.
Debt is a big deal. But we're all carrying around big deals, one way or another. The important part is being open and honest with yourself, so you can be open with the person you want to share your life with. Eastman was avoiding the truth of her situation, which screwed both herself and her fiance.
You could just as easily say "How having prior children can ruin budding relationships." And sure, they can discourage them. But a relationship where the kid situation is known up front is very different from a relationship where the kid is disclosed a few weeks before the wedding.