Debt Firewall?

Is there any way to reduce, minimize, or eliminate the ability of a spouse to create needless debts that the other will have to pay, esp credit card?

I don't mean by persuasion, but US legal steps at any stage of relationship from prenup on. Apparently you can firewall one another's new debts at the legal seperation stage, but is there any earlier measure?

Not even assuming any friction or disputes, just a couple that want to opt out of the crazy world of cheap credit as future source of temptation/friction, and don't anticipate any need for credit AT ALL including mortgages or even car rentals (they don't take debit cards do they?). I assure any doubter that zero credit IS an acceptable solution, and would just like to know the how-to mechanics as well as any less drastic approaches.

The most elegant solution might be to put a fraud alert on both spouses, with a third party contact having to give approval, who never does. That way spouses could perhaps maintain existing credit cards, hopefully without zooming up the max credit balance beyond a modest level. Or take the next step to somehow zero or minimize credit rating of each spouse if needed - can this be done without harming an actual creditor? Thanks for any advice...

Reply to
dumbstruck
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It depends where you live. In community property states, the answer is "no." In other states, the answer is probabably state-specific.

- Bob

Reply to
Bob Weissman

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