" />

Proper Money Management-We all know that money has a way of ruining marriages. So to prevent future financial fights, lay out all your money thoughts. It is a very personal topic, and each partner is going to have a different relationship to money. There should be no secrets or shame around money in a healthy marriage. Getting clear on each one's money story, past and present financial history, and common future goals and intentions can help a couple avoid this common relationship pitfall. 

How Are You Going to Handle Your Finances (Together or Separately)?  

Discussing whether you'll combine your finances from the get-go or keep them separate is an incredibly important topic to cover. You may have already combined finances before your engagement, but if you've chosen to keep them separate, consider if that's the best fit moving forward. A lot of conflict can revolve around money. It's important to dive in on your own individual history with money, especially if you're combining two histories. If you do choose to combine your finances, determine if it's best for one of you to handle the money, or if it will be a joint effort. 

How Do You Look at Spending Versus Saving?  

Are you or your partner comfortable with incurring debt? It's important to talk through your relationship with money. We can only see through our lens until we're exposed to our partner's experiences.  

For many couples, this discussion may focus on what money means to them, whether it's power, status, or anything in between. Growing up, your family may have had many discussions about money, or it was just a given that it was always available without any issue. It's important to think through how those experiences have followed you and how it may affect your outlook on spending and saving and ways you may be willing to. How do you expect to share the expenses? Do you have gender-based financial expectations? Will we merge our accounts? How will we prioritize spending?

REFERENCES: Chris Locurto, Brides-Jillian Kramer, Marianne McGoldrick,Lea Rose Emery,Holy Spirit-Kimberly Cyphers