Just an idea. I have never put this idea into practice…yet. I’m not even sure of the practics of how to do this idea yet. But I thought it was worthy to pass on and I do plan on adding this to my coaching opportunities. There is something here.

Again, I’ve got to give credit where credit is due. I got this idea from Dr. Henry Cloud from his book, Necessary Endings.

Somehow and at some time (this is part of the practics I have yet to figure out), ask the one you are dating for a credit report and the last two years of tax returns. You now see why there are some things to work out with this idea.

But this is why. And it is important. This is a means to learn about his/her character.

Whether one pays his/her bills is a sign of character. 

Get this loud and clear. A love for a lifetime is not about how much money one makes. That is not what this is about at all! This is about this person’s past and how he or she has responsibly made decisions.

The credit report will give you a peek into how he/she has fulfilled other promises he/she has made to people who have entrusted things to him or her. If he/she can’t be trusted to fulfill the promises he makes with something such as money, how can he/she be trusted with more valuable things—like you?

The tax returns give you a similar glimpse such has finding out the simple truth that he/she has done his/her taxes. If one hasn’t, that is a sign of a lack of responsibility and/or lack of respect for the law and/or whether he/she has his/her life in order even in the mundane.

Do you see how this has little to do with the actual money?

Ask for these documents and ask for the important numbers to be blacked out. Those numbers don’t matter. It is this that can help you—the best predictor of the future is the past. This is a documented window on that past.

Maybe these are issues with you now. Take the time to fix them now. Not after you are married. Now. This is part of your responsibility to learn who you are so you can find that match. The best predictor of your future is your past. What you do now will become your past. You have control over this. Make these wise decisions. Make these hard decisions. Make the necessary changes. Make the necessary endings. You are a catch!

Update:  8 years after publishing this idea, a new dating app has been created that includes credit scores. Only those scoring above 675 will be accepted into the app. Your precise number won’t be displayed on your profile, but anyone who swipes right will have passed the same test. Because these decisions do matter in finding that love for a lifetime. Read more. 

(Photo credit:  http://www.bankrate.com/finance/credit/judgment-disappear-from-credit.aspx)