Fiance's Bad Credit

I have an excellent credit rating, however, my fiance filed bankruptcy in 1997. How will his bad credit affect mine once we are married?

Very badly. His credit will drag yours down for the next 8 years and make it much harder for you to get credit for a car or house. If he has outstanding debts incurred since the BK, any assets with his name on them can be taken to satisfy the debt. (You may get to keep 1/2 the equity.) Further, he can't file BK again for 5 years, so your joint property will be on the hook for the next 5 years if he runs up new debts.

If you live in a separate property state, perhaps you should keep all assets in your name and draw up contracts saying that he receives equity in the house/car after 5 years of good credit. Alternatively, you two could live in sin for a while and just draw up living together agreements. ; ) Check out Nolo Press' Legal Guide for Gay & Lesbian Couples for good examples of these types of contracts.