Dave welcomes a special guest to his show: marriage expert and author Joe Beam.

A listener asks Dave and marriage expert Joe Beam if she should get a joint checking account with her fiancé to start saving for the wedding, or save the money separately.

Joe points out the trouble that could arise if the two don't complete the engagement. Dave talks about how dangerous it is to mix money before marriage.

Dave's answer: That's why we tell people to not live together or buy houses together before marriage. From a money standpoint, you just get yourself all entangled. I've even seen horrible situations where one person passes away before the wedding in a car wreck. Then you're all tied up with the person who was going to be your mother-in-law but never was.

I would not have a joint checking account for purposes of saving for the wedding unless you are in a highly unusual situation where everything and everyone around the engagement is strong. (There is no family weirdness.) Also, it needs to be a situation that, if the money just goes away, you're not going to die over it. It's better in most cases to have two separate wedding accounts that you constantly talk about together. You can create the same thing as a joint account just by communicating

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