Anthony Meerak, Relationship Writer

Secrets are the types of skeletons we generally want to stay in the closet. With doors closed. And criss-crossed strips of lumber hammered on as an extra precaution.

The main motivation for keeping things under wraps is because letting the cat out of the bag could cause our relationships to crash.

Finances - Vince, 33

Couples should decide on how they are going to finance their lifestyle, for example, the sharing of bills and other household expenses.

Outside of that, I strongly insist on a pre-nup agreement (some legal experts say it is of no legal effect). If it is love, what does money have to do with it. I keep my money and what I do with it outside of our joint obligations - it is my business. With that out of the way, we can live happily ever after.

Health - Steve, 32

It is very important for couples to be open about various health issues - physiological and psychological. Persons need to reveal a history of psychological illnesses because these tend to be hereditary, which then would affect your children.

The medical issues are equally important. For example, the risk of a child being born with sickle-cell anaemia increases if both parents are carriers, or with HIV/AIDS or other sexually transmitted infections. It should be mandatory that one's status is disclosed to a partner, for obvious reasons.

Having a child from a previous relationship - Vivica, 50

This cannot be kept secret, especially if you are entering marriage. A child cannot disappear - if you have one, I need to know. I should be able to make the decision if I want to be a stepmother or not.

Imagine me being married to someone for two or 20 years and then find out he had an outside child. I would feel deceived!

Sexual history - Rory, 24

Ahh, secrets. Some secrets should remain secrets. But on a serious note, I think it's important to share all types of information, though it may have the potential to backfire.

For example, your spouse may decide to use it as ammunition in a heated conversation. One has to be careful not to pull on such information when things get rough. Sharing sexual history is important; if one is infected with any sexually transmitted infections, one's partner must know to assess risk.

If you are supremely comfortable with your mate, you can talk about experiences with your previous partner. Who knows, it might enhance your present relationship.