When you are dating casually, finances may not be a big deal between you and your partner. However, the moment you begin to consider getting married, finances is an important part of your marriage that should be looked into. The best time to deal with it is before you jump in. It is however not too late if you are already married.
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Put It All on the Table:
Have a sit with your partner and talk. Talk about the state of your finances and also your attitudes towards money. Most times, the issue isn’t the finances itself; the issue is the attitudes towards your finances.
Once the both of you have decided to spend your lives together, its important you have this talk BEFORE you get married. This way you understand each other’s spending habits and history and see how you can adjust to it- or not.
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Determine Your Goals as a Couple:
It is important to set goals as a goal- when you want to buy a house, when you want to go on a vacation? Where do you want your children to school? Determining them upfront on how to achieve them will definitely put everyone on check.
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Make a Plan & Stick With It:
No matter how much you are in love with your significant other, the truth remains that you are both from different backgrounds, have had different experience ,therefore you have different views about money and money issue. It is, therefore, not enough to have a goal, you need to make a plan and both agree on the plan.
Let me illustrate this- so you agree with her that by the second year of your marriage, you would both move into a bigger apartment- that is the goal.
The plan would involve talking about how much each party would contribute.. etc. Have these types of discussions and plan about everything- from how you would divide rents and utilities to savings and expenditure. It may not be sexy but it would save you some serious strains later on.
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