Getting married is a major life milestone. Many of us look forward to finding the potential spouse with whom we can spend the rest of our lives. In fact, choosing your spouse is one of the most important decisions you can make. It should be done with very careful consideration.

You’ve probably seen some horror stories on Dateline or Lifetime. Thankfully, those are not the norm. Yet, you don’t want unexpected surprises when you least expect them.

Say you marry someone who exaggerates their wealth, then, you find out they’re in trouble with the IRS. Now, your assets are on the line as joint marital property.

This is why it is essential to perform a background check.

Unearth Deep Secrets

While a background check may seem incredibly unromantic, it is quite necessary in today’s fluid world. People can move around and hide from their past at any time. Your future spouse may not feel comfortable revealing the skeletons in their closet.

Perhaps they tell you that you will be set for life. That, you don’t have to work. Well, you may or may not take them up on that offer, but the only way to know for sure is through an asset search. There are many complex ways people can hide money they don’t want to be discovered.

You want to establish whether a person is as trustworthy and creditworthy as they claim to be. You can’t afford to ruin your credit because your spouse lied about their credit score.

Remove All Illusions

If you’re ready to get married, then you probably think you know everything there is to know about your future spouse. In most cases, this is true–thankfully. But, there are also many stories where people find out about dark secrets when it’s too late.

If your gut is telling you to verify their information, then you should. Just consider the possibility that your spouse is not who they appear to be.

A background check can put your mind at ease before making a life-changing decision.

Prior Marriages and Divorces

You want your marriage to work, as most people do, but for many reasons there are a number of marriages that fail. You need to know if your future spouse has any children you are not aware of, and if child support is involved.

You also want to make sure any prior divorces have been finalized so that you don’t commit bigamy. The good news is marriage and divorce records are public records in many states.

They can be found in the county and courthouse where they took place. That is unless the records are kept confidential.

Criminal Past

It can be life-altering to find out your future spouse has had criminal convictions for horrific things such as drug trafficking or spousal abuse.

Like marriage records, most criminal records are public records. If your future spouse was a juvenile delinquent, their records will be sealed and expunged after they turn 18. So, you will never know.

Hopefully, if they were a juvenile delinquent, they have changed their ways since then.

Final Thought

With our fast-paced and hyper-flexible world, there is nothing wrong with conducting a background check on your future spouse. You want to be sure that this person is the one, and has been truthful.

Categories: General