With wedding bells in your future, you may think that discussing money with your future spouse is gauche.
It isn’t.
Talking about finances may be nearly as important as talking about the reception or honeymoon. Maybe more important.
According to an article on cnbc.com, talking about finances — budgets, insurance, savings and so forth — could be critical to ensuring a happy marriage.
The article suggests setting a specific time to sit down and talk about how you want to organize your marriage. Will there be a joint checking account or separate ones? Who is going to manage the money and pay the bills? And so forth.
It is also key to set a budget and put your expenses and financial goals down on paper. It is important that each partner be comfortable with the other’s spending habits.
If there are disagreements, the couple may want to seek out the advice of a marriage counselor or financial advisor.
Other topics to consider are life insurance ( a “must” for most couples, according to the article); debt, if there is any; disability insurance; homeowners insurance; health insurance; and even an estate plan, or at least a plan to designate beneficiaries in case of one’s death.
