To live 20 years in marriage is no joke. This is experience, this is patience, understanding, the ability to make concessions to each other, to compromise. However, no one is safe from mistakes, alas. Including financial. Committed by many, so to speak, in the name of love. Below I describe the essence of several such errors.
Hiding finance
It's important to be open about money, as well as about even the most intimate aspects of your personal life. It turns out that it’s more convenient for couples to discuss sex rather than money. But they should feel comfortable, be clean with each other in relation to assets, debts, income and expenses. They must also set their common goals together.
Transfer of financial responsibility to one partner
When it comes to family finances, two are needed. This includes bill payment and investment management. Both partners must clearly manage the inflow and outflow of money. Even if you hate paying bills, do it.
Fear of talking about a marriage contract
You may find that starting a discussion of marriage agreements is painfully inconvenient, but there are many drawbacks to avoiding such conversations. Talking about a prenuptial agreement can lay the foundation for estate planning, protecting your property. And to make many points very clear by clearly defining what is common and what is personal. There is no rule that you are required to enter into a prenuptial agreement if all the more so the assets belong to only one party, but you must talk.
Feeling awkward about low incomes
Even in a relationship that started at work, it is likely that one partner makes more money than another. Often, a high-income partner feels some superiority. Instead, it’s important to remember that you are two equal parts of a team moving towards the same goal.
Infidelity
Infidelity exists in many forms, and although relations with someone on the side are a well-known violation of agreements in most cases, many do not hesitate to keep a secret of a different kind - a credit card or bank account. Although it may not be as devastating as physical cheating, financial infidelity can bring problems. Be honest with each other.
Everyone using their personal accounts
For some couples, his and her bank accounts may seem like a simple way to avoid financial disagreements. But this can potentially create more problems in marriage than solve. Marriage is a union. Even if you have irreconcilable differences in expenses, it may be better to open a joint account and pay bills and other necessary things from there. Then you can divide what remains into two separate parts.
Neglect of duties related to a previous marriage
If you are in a second marriage, naturally, you want to start a new life as soon as possible. But even if the past relationship is a distant and unpleasant memory for you, the people with whom you were financially connected may not feel the same way. For example, you will not get anywhere from alimony. It just so happened. Do not think that avoiding them will color you in the eyes of the second half.
Linkage to the concepts inherent in childhood
Ideas about finances are often formed in childhood. Someone who has grown up in poverty may suggest that rich people are greedy. A rich child may suggest that poor people do not work hard enough. Other people may cling to the idea that money is usually evil.Or that the desire to get too much money makes people bad. When these preconceived notions follow you in adulthood, they can sabotage relationships with people from different walks of life.
Credit history lies
A shaky credit history can cause a sense of shame, leading to the fact that people will lie about it to their partner. Remember! Starting a relationship with a misrepresentation of your credit history can spark distrust. Whether it’s buying a car, home, or even applying for a credit card, the truth about your situation will certainly become known. Better to be honest.