Money and Marriage: How We Manage Our Finances

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Money affects many areas of our lives, including our relationships. And research shows couples that argue about money are more unhappy and likely to divorce.

When I got engaged 25 years ago, I didn’t know the stats on money problems and divorce. If I had known, I might have been more intentional about how we managed our finances as a couple. But, through trial and error and lots of conversation, we figured it out!

Our money-management strategies have changed a bit over the years (for the better!). And I credit our money discussions and combined financial mission as the secrets to our success.

How We Manage Finances as a Couple

Deciding to combine finances

Before we got married, we split the bills. It’s been a (long) while since our wedding, so I don’t remember our conversations about joint vs. separate finances. Yet our mandated premarital “counseling” is one thing that likely helped us figure it out.

At the time, I was not a fan of having to do the marriage prep sessions. But they included direct conversations about money. And they forced us to answer questions about how we planned to use our money…