Congratulations, you’ve found Mr. or Ms. Right, fell in love and now the Big Day is right around the corner.
If you’re planning to say “I do” during this traditional wedding month, save yourself some arguments later by talking about your money now.
1. Where would you like to be in five or ten years? This question is the best way to start a money conversation, says Openshaw. For example, does one of you want to go back to school, start your own business or own a vacation home? And if you plan to raise a family, how many children and when? Would you both continue working, or would one spouse want to quit and stay home with the kids? Discussing your hopes and dreams together will help you set priorities and identify savings goals.
What are our assets and liabilities? Before you can create an effective strategy to reach your goals, each person should fill out a net worth worksheet, detailing his or her assets and liabilities. Once you know where you stand right now, it’s much easier to move forward.
3. Should we keep our finances separate or combine them? Some couples relish the unity and trust that joint accounts foster, while others prefer more freedom and autonomy by maintaining separate accounts
4. What about our investments? Whether or not you choose to combine your investment accounts is, again, entirely up to you. (Note: You cannot open joint IRAs or 401(k)s, though you can change beneficiary information.)
5. How will we handle daily spending decisions? One of the first tasks newlyweds should tackle is creating a budget. Sit down together and plot out how much you expect to spend on groceries, clothes, eating out and other household expenses.
“Budget” doesn’t have to be a four-letter word — think of it as a means to reaching your goals.
6. Who will be responsible for paying the bills and preparing the taxes?
No matter who ends up handling the bills in your marriage, make sure each partner knows where to find all the different account information, including Web sites, passwords and bill due dates in case anything should happen and the other person needs to take over the responsibilities.
7. What is your tolerance for financial risk? One of the biggest culprits in marital money fights is a mismatch of risk tolerance, says Jonathan Rich, author of The Couple’s Guide to Love and Money.
“A lot of life’s most important decisions involve weighing risks,” Rich says. From investing strategies to career moves, if one of you prefers to take bigger risks in hope of bigger rewards while the other is content to play it safe, you could each end up resenting the other for his or her carelessness or for holding you back, says Rich.
8. What are our insurance options? Adding a spouse to your health insurance may be cheaper than maintaining separate plans. Consider your specific health needs, then look at the costs and benefits of each person’s plan choosing. Combining your auto-insurance coverage will probably also save you money. You’ll want make sure you have enough homeowners or renters insurance to protect your combined possessions. And what about life insurance? Do you need it? If you already have some, either privately or through an employer, do you need to change your beneficiary information?
9. How does your credit report look? The good news is that simply marrying a person with bad credit will not drag down your stellar record. What’s his is his and what’s hers is hers. So, if you apply for a car loan by yourself, your spouse’s credit report won’t even enter the picture.
But when it comes to applying for joint financing — say, you plan to buy a house together — lenders will consider both your histories. It’s better to know ahead of time of any potential problems than to receive the shocking news in the mortgage lender’s office that you’re stuck with a higher interest rate, don’t qualify for as much money as you’d planned or that you’re being turned down for the loan entirely.
10. How will we tackle existing debt? Make a pact to pay off your debts. Start with the balances that carry the highest interest rates. (Find out what it will take to pay off your balances.) You may choose to work individually or collectively to pay off debts you accrued before the wedding, but don’t add each other’s names to your obligations. Also, consolidating your own student loans to lock in record-low rates is a good move — but, again, don’t merge your loans with your spouse’s. The commingled debt would be nearly impossible to untangle should you ever divorce, and if one of you were to default, the other would be left holding the bag.
Copyrighted, Kiplinger Washinton Editors Inc.
Posted by : Tony Sterling
