“Our relationship is going well overall, and we’ve talked a little bit about getting married. The problem is that I haven’t told him the specifics about my debt. He knows that I have student loans, but since they’ve been on hold since the beginning of the pandemic, I’ve been conveniently ignoring them. I also have about $15,000 in credit card debt, mostly from my early 20s. Part of me is hoping that I can fix this on my own and never have to tell him — this is my mess and I need to clean it up myself. How do I come clean?”

In the latest installment of #MyTwoCents, resident financial advice columnist @CharlotteCowles encounters someone unsure of how to bring up their debt in a new relationship. Cowles suggests, “you need to be honest, but how you communicate will make all the difference.” Head to the link in our bio for the rest of Charlotte’s advice.