Having a serious discussion before marriage about financial belief systems is one way to iron out arguments involving money before they happen.

According to experts, asking questions such as "How much debt do we have?" "What is our lifestyle going to be?" "How much money should we spend on entertainment, on clothes?" "How will we use credit cards?" and "Should we have separate accounts?" can provide a dialogue that can save a lot of tears and frustration down the road.

Steve Pybrum, president of Pybrum and Co., a California-based management-consultant company, advises engaged couples to discuss financial issues at least six months before they get married.

"Most people do not want to throw cold water on a hot relationship by bringing up money," said Pybrum, author of "Money and Marriage: Making It Work Together." "They think they'll just slide into marriage and work out those details later. That's why the divorce rate is 50 percent. Couples don't slow down enough to talk about their financial thinking."

Why argue about money when you don't have any money to argue over? That's what Annette and Frank Ciccone decided when they were married 35 years ago.

"When we were young, we thought, 'Who needs money?' " Annette Ciccone said. "We struggled in the beginning, but lack of money wasn't a consideration when we planned our family."

To this day, Annette says, the couple has never had an argument over money.

"With four kids and college expenses, we certainly think about it now, and we've grown in maturity and wisdom," she said. "The secret is communication."

Attorney Violet Woodhouse, a certified financial planner and author of "Divorce & Money: How to Make the Best Financial Decisions During Divorce," agrees that communication is the most important component of a good financial relationship.

"Ultimately, the issue of love and money and the conflicts it creates are all about the ability to communicate," Woodhouse said. "It is about accountability and how we are accountable to our partner."

Annette Ciccone gathers the bills, writes the checks and mails them out. But her husband, a sergeant for the Palm Bay (Fla.) Police Department, knows exactly where the money is being spent, how much is in the account and what expenses are coming up.

The Ciccones just have one rule: They discuss all major purchases.

"I wouldn't go out and buy a diamond ring, just like he wouldn't go out and buy a new truck without talking about it," she said. "We don't think of each other as having individual needs. Our goal is to decide what we need together."

Julie Murphy, executive director of Consumer Credit Counseling Service in Melbourne, Fla., recommends that engaged couples undergo premarital financial counseling.

"We are all raised differently," she said. "When a spender marries a saver, it can be a major frustration for both parties. It's important to develop a financial plan and a budget for your future life together. That way, when disagreements come up, you can blame it on the budget."

Left unresolved, financial difficulties can spiral into other problems, such as alcohol or drug abuse, depression or job loss.