Maintain the "You" in Your Credit Union

Togetherness has its perks in the financial world -- price breaks on insurance premiums, saving money by splitting bills, instant justification for buying the family-sized bag of Doritos, etc.

Creditwise, twosomes have a leg up on their single competition, too. When shopping for the best rates on loans, you've got two credit scores from which to choose. (Alas, starting this month, you'll no longer be able to boost your score by adding your name to a loved one's accounts, and leaning on their better credit.)

Still, couples need to be a little selfish to keep their credit healthy. Should the unthinkable "d" words come up (namely, "divorce" or "death"), you want to be able to stand on your own two feet, creditwise.

Keep your reputation intact

The biggest danger of all that togetherness is losing your credit autonomy. It doesn't take long for your credit file to go dormant, either. As little as six months of no activity on an account can make you unscorable. (You'll still have a credit file, but without anything for your lenders to report, the credit-scoring system just kind of gives up.)

What's the big deal? If you find yourself on your own because of either of the aforementioned "d" words, your access to lines of credit could be swiftly cut off. Without established and active credit in your own name, you'll have a harder time qualifying for loans or new cards.

The remedy is simple: Keep the accounts you established in your single days open. In fact, don't even relegate those cards to your sock drawer -- use them for a small purchase at least every few months to keep them active.

Credit tips for twosomes

While it's tempting to show your love and trust by adding each others' names to every account, all that sharing might not be in your best interest.

While there's no such thing as a "couples" or "joint" credit report, if you both are named on a loan or listed as joint account holders, any flub-up (late payments, defaults) on the account will mar both of your credit files, no matter who forgot to put the mortgage check in the mail.

A few simple moves now will keep things harmonious on the home front -- and in your credit files.

• Share your credit secrets: Put it all out on the table. Pull your free reports at annualcreditreport.com, dim the lights, and review each others' reports (without judgment or eye-rolling!).
• Make your sweetheart an "authorized user": That designation is a lot easier to undo than "joint account holder" on cards you want to share. Again, apologies for being a downer, but if things go south in your relationship, untying the credit knot can get complicated if you're both unwilling to let go of joint accounts.

Vow to pay those bills on time: Nagging's not attractive, but a few moments of bickering about whether or not payments were sent in on time is better than months of trying to clean up a credit mess.

Dayana Yochim is the author of The Motley Fool's Guide to Couples & Cash and the on-call phone-a-friend for her coupled pals having financial tiffs. Over at www.GreenLight.Fool.com, she offers money fixes for brides, grooms, bridesmaids and wedding crashers.