Did you know that women speak an average of 25,500 words a day and men speak an average of 12,500 words a day? I know what you’re thinking… “I knew she talks too much.” Irregardless of the 25,500 words or the 12,500 words, what I want to ask you is do these conversations include money and marriage?

GroomsAdvice.com: Helping newlyweds get rich since 2008.

When you are preparing for marriage, you are thinking about the wedding day, the excitement, and the friends and/or relatives that you might not have seen in years. It is a great day. Even more so is the marriage which can be even better than the wedding day. You can make it this way by planning in the area of finances. I know that men don’t like to talk a lot. Understandable. BUT when it comes to money and marriage, there are discussions that need to be had and decisions that should be made. Do not take money and marriage lightly, but rather seriously with a desired result.

The choice is yours. As the groom, maybe you see yourself as the provider for your future bride. If that is the case, then love her enough to ask those hard questions. Do not let money and marriage challenges be a downfall, but take the steps to prevent and/or be prepared to address them when they come. The idea is to be solution oriented and not operating from a victim mentality. Nor should you operate out of emotion because you did not know. The next time you and your bride-to-be are together, take the first step and say to your future bride, “I don’t want our marriage to become a statistic because we did not discuss money. Let’s begin the discussion. Money talk in marriage is an ongoing conversation. We can overcome anything together.”

Dr. Taffy Wagner is a Certified Educator in Personal Finances and founder of DebtAtTheAltar.com She is the Creator of Money Talk Before The Commitment Walk and Debt Stops At The Altar financial education program for engaged couples and newlyweds.