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Should We Marry Our Money Before We Say “I Do”?

Monday, February 15th, 2010

We aren’t going to be subtle on this one: Our answer is, “Absolutely not.” Don’t marry your money until you are legally married. We have seen too many engagements end, leaving couples who have combined their money with the painful task of sorting it all out during an already difficult time.

Naturally, if you are heading toward marriage, you probably share your money with each other, but we’re talking about things like joint savings accounts, shared credit cards, retirement funds, and checkbooks. Combining these finances before you’ve created a legal union can create headaches you simply don’t need.

But just because you’re not sharing all your money doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be talking about it. We believe that strong financial communication has to start before you get married-hopefully before you even get engaged. If you are engaged or seriously dating someone and thinking about co-mingling your money along with your lives, plan a Money Huddle and talk about the six topics that will save your marriage before it has begun.

View this week’s Money Couple Minute to get all 6 answers HERE.

How to Handle Holiday Spending?

Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009

For many couples, the holidays are a minefield of difficult money decisions. How do we stick to a budget and still give meaningful gifts? Do we really need to buy a gift for Great Aunt Martha? Where are we going to get the money to pay for all of this stuff?

With so many money-based decisions coming in the midst of all the other stressful events of the holiday season, it’s more important than ever that your financial communication stays strong.

Start this holiday season with a Money Huddle to check in on expectations and create a spending plan that won’t leave you broke come January. The Money Huddle will help you get on track and prioritize your spending. It will also keep you from out of control spending because you will be able to determine goals and limits ahead of time.

Discover the strategies to create your gift list, set spending limits, plan your time to shop, learn how weekly check-ins help, and how your Money Personalities will affect how you and your spouse handle your holiday spending in this weeks Money Couple Minute: How to Handle Holiday Spending.

Prenuptial Agreements – Should We or Shouldn’t We?

Thursday, July 23rd, 2009

The number one cause for divorce is miscommunication about money – in most cases it is better to “get it all on the table.” vs. waiting until it is to late.
Are we setting ourselves up for divorce by having a prenup? No. There are some very practical reasons to have one in place.

Here are some points to having a positive prenup conversation:

1.  Set the tone – it is important to keep it positive – obviously with this type of conversation it is easy to become defensive. You can open the conversation like this: “I would never want money to come between us and ruin our relationship. Why don’t we explore some reasons to have a prenup. Let’s talk about the positive and negative aspects.”

2.  Be sure to write out the positive and negative aspects to having a prenup. For help with discussion questions see our Money Couple Minute here.

3.  Once you have agreed upon a prenup take these important steps:

  • Be prepared – set your prenup up a number of months before the wedding – wedding planning can be stressful, be sure have this done and out of the way.
  • List all of your assets and liabilities – this can be a relationship saver because there will be no financial surprises.
  • Set it up to strengthen the relationship – start your relationship out right, clear financial communication is key to making sure your love stays strong.

Remember, no two relationships are the same. Decide what is the best decision and move forward together.

View the Money Couple on ABC’s News Now segment, “Good Money” as they talk about prenuptial agreements and answer viewer questions in the Money Couple Minute HERE

Advice from the Money Couple on prenuptial agreements on ABC's News Now..