Once entering the season of engagement with your significant other, there are many conversations to have that involve discussing the future for a happy and successful life. It will not only make it easy to know what to expect in each stage of life, but will work to create a marriage that has more peace and unity long-term. Sit down before you get married and go through these FIVE significant areas.

1. Diet and Exercise

When creating a life together, your habits are bound to influence each other and will cause both of you to either thrive or fail in certain parts. Discuss what your diet and exercise will consist of, whether it means eating out on most nights or having a majority of home-cooked meals.

If you both want to exercise on a consistent basis, determine whether you’ll each join a gym or participate in outdoor activities.

2. Children

Whether you’ll have children or not will be the largest contributor to how your future looks. Determine if you both want children, and if so, how many. There should also be a timeline established on when you’ll start having a family.

3. Finances

Finances are the largest cause of divorce, making it important to discuss your spending and saving habits, as well as your long-term monetary goals. You’ll also need to decide if you’ll share an account, along with creating a budget to prevent arguments over where money is spent.

4. Security

One of the most important factors of your future together is your security to ensure peace of mind and a protected home. Discuss your security options, whether it involves adopting a guard dog or having a security system installed. Agreeing on different ways to protect both your property and family will make it easy to prevent loss or damages.

5. Careers

Long-term goals and dreams should be discussed before entering marriage to ensure you’re on the same page with what your lifestyle will look like. It’s important to each voice our personal goals whether you’ll both earn an income or one will stay at home after starting a family. Have a five-year plan in place and don’t be afraid to communicate should you have a change of heart.

Whether discussing money or home security needs, there are a number of topics to discuss before entering marriage to ensure there’s more unity and vision in the marriage, which will ultimately prevent a higher degree of conflict. Compromising will also be necessary with each person to ensure flexibility and a happy life together.