Marriage Mistake

Dodging important conversations about money.

"Money is emotional. When a couple gets married, they bring their personal attitude and approach to finances into the union. If an understanding and agreement about how money will be earned, used, saved, and spent isn’t clear and agreed upon early on, you may be headed for trouble later on. The most contemptuous divorces I see are around the abuse and misuse of money. Undiscussed financial issues can become larger than life and tear even the most devoted couples apart. To avoid financial conflict, don’t keep money a mystery in your marriage. It's critical for a couple to build a realistic budget, create joint short- and -long term financial goals (and stick to them), consistently put money aside in case of an emergency (a job loss or illness) and review these things every so often." -Gabrielle M. Clemens, certified divorce financial analyst