Before marrying, here are a few topics it is helpful to discuss:
Who will pay for the rent or mortgage? Electricity, vacations, entertainment, and so on?
Will each of you have discretionary money, an amount you can spend on whatever you wish without having to justify what you buy to the other? Or will you need to agree on where every dollar goes? Will you collaborate regarding financial decisions? Or will one of you, explicitly or implicitly, be in charge of finances?
Although we cannot anticipate every contingency, here are a few more questions to consider:
- Will you have a joint checking account, separate ones, or both?
- If you have a joint account, who puts how much money into it and when?
- Will you hold savings accounts and other funds individually or jointly?
- Will both of you earn income by working?
- If a baby arrives, will one of you be a stay-at-home parent? If yes, how might your approach to financial matters change?
- What other income, savings, and investments does each of you have?
The more you clarify in advance about finances, the fewer unwelcome surprises are likely to surface. So communicate your feelings, wants and needs about money constructively, first to yourself, and then to your partner, calmly and confidently, before marrying and after too, as needed.
Andrea’s Story: Saying What You Need
While it’s not easy for many of us to discuss money with a marriage partner, it’s vital to do so. Otherwise, bigger challenges loom.
Andrea and her husband Louis, both 38, did talk about money before marrying. They agreed on how much of each of their incomes would go into a joint checking account. They decided to keep their separate assets, acquired while single, in their own names. All was fine until after their baby arrived. Louis and Andrea agreed that she would quit her job to be a full time mom.
Andrea loved being home with the baby. But when she realized that she wasn’t going to return to work for several years, she began to feel uneasy about the growing difference between her husband’s and her own net worth. While Louis was increasing his savings and retirement accounts, she was no longer able to add to her savings.
Andrea tried to share her uneasy feelings about this with Louis a couple of times. He dismissed them, saying she had nothing to worry about.
She feared he would think she was being greedy if she mentioned her concern again. She felt some shame, thought she might be being petty to dwell on financial “unfairness” when, all in all, she had a wonderful life and a great husband.
So she stopped trying to talk to him about it. As a result, she began feeling distant from him. “He doesn’t love me,” she thought. Her resentment increased because of his “insensitivity.” Finally, she asked Louis to see a couples therapist with her.
During this session, both were able to express their concerns and hear each other’s. Andrea talked about her insecurities, which resulted mainly from her parents having divorced when she was twelve. She hated to think this way, what if their marriage didn’t last? She wanted to be financially self-sufficient — just in case.
Louis murmured about women who divorced their husbands and wiped them out financially. “He’s frightened too,” Andrea realized.
In the perceived safety of the therapy office, each heard and gained empathy for the other. Both now trusted that the other was committed to their marriage. By the end of their session, they created a solution: Andrea had fearfully asked for what she really wanted, which was for Louis to contribute some of his income each month to her separate savings account, and Louis agreed.
Is the Conflict About Money or Something Else?
Although conflicts about money and sex are often cited as two main causes of divorce, the real issue is likely to be the spouses’ failure to communicate about what they want and need, concerning money as well as sex and other concerns.
As explained in M is for Marriage — or is It Money? , money can represent love, power, or security. Can you see how money represents all three for Andrea? What do you think money represents for Louis?
As the example shows, it is not money issues that stress a marriage, but what we tell ourselves about — how we interpret — our partner’s way of dealing with money, which can strengthen or weaken a relationship. Fortunately, Andrea and Louis were able to deal with their conflict constructively.
How to Talk About Money
When considering how to talk about money — in dating and in marriage — three main principles apply: Fairness, Feelings and Beliefs.
Fairness
How do we decide what’s fair concerning money? If he earns twice as much as you, should he pay twice as much toward expenses? What if you earn more?
from World of Psychology http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2016/09/14/money-talks-before-and-during-marriage/
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