Marriage Financial Planning Advice

As you plan for married life, use our tools to prepare for your financial future.

Before the big day

Set goals and follow a plan.

Share your financial attitudes and behaviors.
Prioritize your goals, such as buying a house, having children or saving for retirement.
Discuss how you’ll handle large purchases while growing your savings.

Explore finance articles

Talk about assets and debts.

Talk about assets like homes or investments that each of you brings to the marriage.
Decide how you’ll manage debt. Discuss whether to combine your bills or keep things separate.
If your future spouse has past credit issues, it could affect you both if you apply jointly for new loans.

Build an emergency fund

Create a budget.

Compare the money going out and coming in.
Understand how much you can safely spend and save.
You may need to compromise so you can create a budget that fits your family's needs.

Use our budgeting tools

Member benefits for your wedding

Discounts on Flowers

Celebrate your special day with savings on floral arrangements from FTD®.

Learn about FTD discounts

Travel Deals

Save on flights, hotels and car rentals for your honeymoon or next adventure.

Learn about travel deals

Special Event Insurance

Get protection for the unexpected through our alliance with Markel.‍ ‍^{See note 1}

Learn about special event insurance

Update your member profile.

This helps us serve you better. For help, call us at 210-531-8722 (USAA) or chat online.
Let us know when you’re getting married.‍ ‍^{See note 2}
Add your new or future spouse, children or stepchildren. They’ll get their own member numbers.
If you’re marrying into the USAA family, you can get an Online ID.

Update my profile

Review your insurance coverage after the wedding.

See where you might need to add or combine coverage. Plus, you'll want to consider how marriage affects your retirement.

Auto Insurance

Homeowners or Renters Insurance

Valuable Personal Property Insurance

Life Insurance, Investing and Retirement

Health Insurance

Don’t forget about estate planning.

It's important to discuss your wishes with your new family early. To create your estate plan, you’ll want to understand:

Which documents you may need.
Where to get help.
When to consider setting up a trust.

Learn about estate planning

Are you a military spouse?

Marrying into the military presents you with unique challenges. Get more information on benefits and helpful resources.

See military spouse resources

Marriage and finances FAQ

You should discuss your household finances with your spouse to decide how you'll pay your bills and build your savings. If you're not ready to combine all your money, keep your individual accounts but consider opening a joint one for paying bills.

Consider consulting a tax advisor before deciding how you'll file your taxes as a married couple. Whether you'll pay less filing jointly or individually will depend on your situation. Filing jointly often means you can take advantage of credits and deductions. Filing separately offers other considerations like avoiding joint tax liability. For more info, visit our tax center.

It can help to understand how deployments, frequent moves and government benefits could affect you. Take a look at these tips on reducing financial stress as a military spouse.

These videos can help you get ready for your first move or PCS:

14 PCS tips from veteran military spouses

DIY move or full military move

5 tax tips for service members and their families

Article: 2 minutes

Read article: 5 tax tips for service members and their families

The military spouse's guide to reducing financial stress

Article: 7 minutes

Read article: The military spouse's guide to reducing financial stress

Why some married couples file separate taxes