3 Things To Do With Your Spouse
Read Time / 3 Minutes
Theme / Financial Planning
When in marriage, you have to be on the same page with your spouse. It’s challenging, but two people have to come together in alignment in how to live their lives with each other, including their finances. Financial disagreements are the second-leading cause of divorce in America, behind (closely) only infidelity. Think about that for a second. Money and cheating are the leading causes of divorce. To help keep your marriage strong, you need to be in constant communication in your finances and get on the same page. Here are three conversations to have with your spouse to keep your finances, and your marriage, strong.
#1 Create financial goals together
Too often people’s stress in their finances will come from a sense of wandering. Money comes in, money goes out, and there’s seemingly no purpose to it. What are we working towards? What do we hope to accomplish? By setting a financial goal, it can help create a destination in which your day-to-day can become a journey. That goal can be anything, a down payment for a house, a loaded retirement account, or even saving for a vacation. When you create financial goals you need to have three indications: goal, amount and timeline. Figure out WHAT you want to save for, HOW MUCH you need to save, and WHEN you want to have the goal completed. $10,000 for a European vacation by 2027? A great goal. Have enough for retirement? Too vague, and not something that you can actually build towards.
#2 Challenge yourself in areas of weakness
One of the key financial stressors in a marriage are areas of overspending. It can be anything, and I’ve seen just about everything, but spouses come into our office and make comments about their significant other spending too much on ____. Golfing, energy drinks, yardwork, there are no limits to the things people will spend on that will annoy their spouses. Have an open conversation about what you think your spouse is overspending on, and create a practical challenge to complete said goal. One month my wife and I felt we spent too much eating out as a couple, and decided to set a hard cap the next month on our eating out. Together, we accomplished that goal and its helped form better spending habits for both of us.
#3 Give
1 Timothy 6:10 says “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith.”
One of our primary goals at Christian Wealth Management is to help people refocus their love from money to the kingdom. As much as we have those discussions with our clients, the most practical way to separate yourself from your wealth is to give it away. Tithe it. Donate to charity. Give to your children. See the fruit of your funds when you choose to give instead of accumulate it. When a couple comes together and decides to give some of their money to a cause above themselves, it almost always leads to them coming closer together in their marriage.
I encourage anyone reading this who may be struggling in their marriage, particularly in their finances, to try out these three things and see what God can do with your family. Even if you’re strong in your relationship with your spouse, see how God multiples your faith to Him and to each other when you create goals, challenge yourself and give.
Nathan Carroll
Registered Assistant
208-918-8655
nathan.carroll@christianwm.com
