[I]n past generations, it was considered inappropriate to ask certain questions of the opposite gender especially early in a relationship. But these days a growing number of people of all genders, age groups, and sexual orientations want to know a potential partner’s financial status as early as possible in a relationship. Major publications such as The New York Times have reported that people are even breaking up due to incompatible credit scores.
What’s the big deal about a credit score? Well these days it actually is a much bigger deal than it was say in the 1970s. The era of free love and irresponsible spending is long over. Numerous credit scoring companies especially Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion assign a three digit number that determines whether you will get a mortgage.
The lower the credit score, the more of a financial risk you pose to prospective lenders. Credit score ratings have become more commonplace in the dating game. Adults who have eaten Ramen noodles to pay their student loans on time tend to frown upon financial irresponsibility in others.
So you now want to know how to ask a date what their credit score is. It is probably a lousy idea to do this on the first date, but you should definitely ask before you become sexually intimate or otherwise committed to the relationship. Simply mention that you hope to buy a home in the future and that you have been paying attention to your credit rating. See what your date says. If she does not voluntarily offer her credit ranking, then come right out and politely ask how she views her credit history.
What if a potential partner made some honest mistakes or had an unexpected illness that caused a credit score to plummet? Some people may follow their hearts and stay in a relationship even with incompatible credit ratings. But in the end, money is usually the primary cause of divorce. Arguments over money are much more common than extramarital affairs and sometimes harder to resolve. If one partner has a much better credit rating than the other, he might eventually resent the partner with a lower credit ranking. After all, even a marginally bad credit history can cost a couple tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars over the life of a mortgage.