pick a day once a month to discuss
bigger issues and larger goals. hate it, that won’t change anytime soon,
but the way you talk about money can.
If you know Wednesday nights while
the kids are at church you’re going to
touch base with your spouse about
money, you don’t have to “ruin” a
perfectly good Monday talking about
coffee trip expenses or the rising cost
of the gym membership. What we see over and over again is
couples who are caught up in a cycle
of assumptions, misunderstanding,
and blame.
And knowing you will discuss bigger
concerns or questions once a month
(like every 1st or 15th) ensures that
neither spouse feels like they’re in the
dark about what’s going on financially
or that they will be nagged to death
about it. Putting some money “dates”
on the calendar lets everyone breath
easier and it makes everyone happier.
“
Be sure you know the
condition of your flocks,
give careful attention
to your herds;
for riches do not endure forever,
and a crown is not secure
for all generations.”
Proverbs 27:23-24 NIV
2. R-E-S-P-E-C-T your differences. As
you spend the time working together
on your financial future remember to
respect one another. You were not
made the same. Your minds do not
work the same (no newsflash there,
huh).
If he enjoys spending money and you
It doesn’t matter if they have a healthy
bank account or are deep in debt,
because money isn’t the problem.
Their lack of understanding and
respecting each other is.
As if making money isn’t hard enough,
fighting about the money or feeling like
you’re not being heard is even harder.
It took us years to see this, not only in
our marriage, but in our work. We had
been in the financial planning business
for a decade before we realized that
something wasn’t working. We would
meet with couples, put together airtight
financial plans for them and still see
them fighting, stressing out, and even
divorcing because of their financial
issues. We thought that once we gave
Solutions • 7