There are probably few things that are less appealing than considering the money questions you will have to ask your soon to be spouse. This is a taboo subject for many people, and it may not even seem appropriate at all to talk about these things in front of someone you are about to marry. However, asking about a few simple money questions may help you to be able to have a healthier and happier relationship on all fronts.
How much do you actually have?
Asking someone directly how much money they make is considered particularly rude. However, you are not about to strap your financial future to other people all that often. When it comes to your spouse though, you are going to be stuck with their financial situation for better or for worse when you get married. It is only fair to all parties involved that you be allowed to ask. When you are asking about how much they have, you could receive a multitude of different answers. The person may tell you how much they have in liquid net worth. The may tell you how much they have in total net worth. It is even possible that they may admit to you that they are in debt. You really have to be prepared for all possible situations and adjust accordingly.
Who will pay for what?
As surprising as it may sound, most couples do not negotiate who will pay what bills until after they are married. This is a serious problem since different people may come to the table with different expectations. It is best to sit down with your spouse to be and really try to figure out who will cover what bills and why. It is important to give explanations for why you believe each person should be in charge of each responsibility. This part of the process is going to take some talking and negotiating. These are good skills to bring to a marriage anyway, and this could be a nice test of how well you are both able to work with each other.
Where is your money?
This may seem like an odd question to have to ask, but it is actually a legitimate one. You will find that many people actually do store some of their money in places that you might not expect. This is to say that some people will have established secret savings accounts that only they know about. When this is the situation, you will find that it is important to have them disclose all of the information before the marriage. Both parties should let the other know where all of their money is. Having secret stockpiles of money is a recipe for disaster. This kind of activity could certainly call anyone’s level of commitment into question. It is best that all locations of money are revealed to avoid any unfortunate situations in the future.
Dealing with financial issues is almost always an uncomfortable thing to do. However, if you get some of this out of the way early, it is likely that you will not have as many problems down the line. Money is the top reason cited for divorce says divorce.com. Make sure that you help keep this part of your relationship smooth by talking things through before marriage.