Talking to your spouse about money can be very challenging. This is in part because each spouse has a different relationship with money. The value they give to money, how they feel about money, the way they manage money, or their financial upbringing.

Due to these differences, It is no surprise that talking to your spouse about money can awaken feelings of anxiety, fear, resentment, and distrust.

These money talks even though stressful, are necessary for a healthy marriage.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐰𝐬 𝐢𝐬....... Some things can be done to make these conversations less stressful.

In our quest to build a stronger, and more solid financial foundation for our marriage, we realized that 5 things are needed for a couple to talk about money without fighting.

1- Be open and honest with each other. Avoid playing the blame game. It is hard for ANYONE to admit that they are wrong.

“HERE ARE MY STRENGTHS, HERE ARE MY WEAKNESSES. SINCE WE ARE A TEAM, HOW CAN WE SUPPORT EACH OTHER?”

2- Be aware of your emotions, and keep them in check. Taking emotions out of these discussions is a hard task. So talk to your spouse about the feelings you have about your current financial situation and how your feel thinking about the future. Lead the conversation with love, and focus on creating a financial plan to tackle any money problems.

3- Schedule financial discussions and make them fun (why not make it a date night too? ) Try not to talk to your spouse about money when you have had a long tiring day at work, or when emotions are running high. Give your partner an added reason to show up. Make room in your budget for fun activities to keep each other motivated to keep working toward your goals.

4- Be consistent. Be intentional and make these discussions recurring events on your schedule. Block out specific dates in the month and set reminders. Those small consistent changes add up to the big wins.

5- Both parties should be involved. No spouse should dominate the conversation. Be sure to seek each other’s opinions. Ask open-ended questions that allow your partner to contribute more than a “Yes/No” to the discussion. If you have a difficult time controlling the conversation, get a timer and take turns talking uninterrupted.

Talking to your spouse about money keeps you accountable to each other. It also facilitates you reaching the financial goals your set for your marriage sooner.