Happiness is a destination that we want to ultimately achieve within ourselves and with our partners. Along the way to happiness, you are going to be challenged both from internal and external sides.
It is within those struggles that we show our true strength of endurance and courage to continue on.
When it comes to money-related problems with your partner studies have indicated that it can come up to 3rd place on the ladder. Even if the relationship is only a romantic one and not a marriage.
Major factors for the argument and for breaking up the relationship, which was shown in those studies, are incompatibility, infidelity, and money.
It goes without saying that money is a really important topic of discussion in every relationship.
Good communication is essential if you want to achieve happiness with your partner, even in a financial sense. It may be uncomfortable to share your opinion on the topic of finance, but it is a necessary step for your relationship to move forward.
We will discuss several points that can help you and your partner when it comes to your financial life. Apart from communication, you should pay attention to your desires, goals, habits, lifestyles, transparency, financial discipline, and making budget plans.
If you want to read more on how money can affect your marriage, I have recently written a post about it, so you can check it out here.
Communicating with your Partner on a Financial Basis
You have to be open about your finances with your partner. Financial infidelity is the most common topic of arguments. Financial infidelity in short means that you are not sharing your entire financial expenditure, or you are not following the budgeted plan, and that you are working alone on this.
Heated arguments and blaming cant be a solution to that problem. That is why communicating various topics around finance is essential to a good and healthy relationship.
By communicating all of your fears and insecurities with your partner and vice versa, you can reach common ground and work from there.
Share yourself with your loved ones, if you don’t give the invitation to discuss with open hands you are locking yourself.
Desires and Planning Ahead
When you find common ground you can build on top of that. You can share your career goals, your thoughts on your financial future, and your retirement plan if you have any.
By sharing that information with your partner you are inviting them to do the same. Once you have gathered all your desires in one place you can make a plan and start doing something about that.
In a team, it is easier to reach and achieve desired goals. By going forward with someone who is supportive and who has your back at any time you have a sense of security and protection so you are more prone to fulfill common desires.
Share – Plan – Fulfill
Financial Goals and Expectations
By setting your plans and sharing your desires you are on a good track to achieve all your financial goals and meet your expectations. This will not only fulfill you and your partner but will also improve your overall happiness.
Planning your future doesn’t have to be that difficult. Be honest with yourself, speak your thoughts and desires that you want to achieve with your career and with your life, and share that with your partner.
Write those goals on a big piece of paper. Make a main long-term goal that follows a bunch of short-related ones. That is your guide on how you are going to do it.
Join your partner in creating the future you both want and be truly happy.
Habits and Expenditures
Compatibility between your and your partner’s lifestyle can be detrimental to your happiness. In terms of expenses, you can be somewhat close, and sometimes you can meet a partner that has a very different expenditure habit.
Be honest with your partner about your lifestyle and your expenditure habits. Be transparent and ask the same.
When communicating try to reach out to your partner in terms of reliability and cooperativeness. That you are more than willing to go forwards as a team and make your own hybrid lifestyle.
There is a certain connection between your self worth and how you handle money, if you are interested to read more about it, you can check this post.
Separate Finance or Joint Money?
This topic is very sensitive and very peculiar at the same time.
A study from UCLA and a journal of Personality and Social Psychology suggest that partners that are joining money and coping together tend to be more happy, organized, and less liable to get into arguments over money.
The study also shows that going as a team will give you better options, more chances, and an overall healthier and happier life.
Your sense of connectivity of feeling that you are sharing part of your life will also be significantly increase.
Bare in mind that usually studies are asking about married couples, and couples in longer relationships. When you meet somebody and when you get to know them it is very rare that you will jump the chance to share that part of yourself with them.
For joining money into one account it takes time, trust, security, and reliability in one another. When your relationship is on strong and healthy legs then it is time to come together as a team on this matter.
If your gut feeling tells you that you are not ready, or that you simply don’t trust your partner with your money communicate that issue, and find out the solution to it.
Some couples that have great relationships can’t and won’t join their money for various reasons. However, that shouldn’t stop you from enjoying your life.
Although finances are important, it shouldn’t be a deal breaker if you won’t make joint accounts with your partner.
Financial Discipline – Be Frugal
When you are aware of your expenses and your income, and you have carefully created a plan for future finances and goals for them you are already halfway there.
Becoming frugal and living within the means of your income is not uncommon nor it means being cheap. It simply means that you are living efficiently without amounted debt within your financial means.
Becoming financially disciplined requests 2 key things – consistency and patience.
Come together as a team with your partner. Make a financial plan that you want to happen in your future and stick to it.
Thanks for reading, have a nice day and take care.
