He doesn’t put the cap on the toothpaste. She doesn’t love football. He doesn’t put the toilet seat down.  She doesn’t take care of her car. He plays too much golf. She buys too many shoes. If you’ve been in a relationship, you understand. If you’re in a relationship and this doesn’t sound familiar, give it some time because you’re obviously still in the honeymoon phase. All these things are relatively petty in the grand scheme of things. One thing that is not petty – disagreements about money. Financial issues are one of the leading causes of divorce.

 

Here are 3 basic steps you can take to avoid this relationship epidemic:

  1. Communicate – Like any part of a relationship, discuss your differences so you can find a solution that works for everyone.
  2. Plan – Once you’ve determined your goals as a couple, set a course to accomplish those objectives.
  3. Review – Regularly sit down (yes, literally) and determine if you’re still on track to meet those goals. Are you both doing what you can to help? If not, see Step 1.

 

The truth is we all change over time. Our perspective on what is important evolves as we age. Keeping each other informed is critical to staying on course, together. As an advisor, I often spend meetings with couples bridging the gap and helping them turn a disagreement into a mutually agreed upon strategy. Wealth Management published this great article that takes a deeper dive on how little couples actually agree on financial matters and ways to help navigate those differences.

If you want to meet with an advisor, contact us today!