6 Ways You and Your Spouse Can Manage Your Finances Together

Money is one of the leading causes of conflict in marriages today. This touchy subject often stays on the sidelines till after a couple has said "I do," only to rear its ugly head later. Managing your money as a team can do wonders for both your financial and marital health. 

Set Specific Goals Together

Many marriages have both a spender and a saver. If you work together to come up with achievable financial goals, your differences can balance each other out. It's important for both partners to share the same financial goals in order for your family to reach them together. Identify all your goals, large and small. This may range from saving for a house to maintaining a grocery budget large enough to accommodate organic produce. 

Create a Roadmap for Your Finances

Once you've set your goals, you need to decide exactly how you will reach them. Create a time-table for large goals, such as saving for a car or home. Determine how much you need each week or month to get to your goals in time. The clearer you are about where you're going, the easier it will be to decide whether you're on track. 

Choose a Money Management Plan

Sit down together and decide how you will manage your money. You can keep your money in a joint account or two separate ones. If you use separate accounts, you may want to keep a joint one as well for pooling money used on bills.

It's also a good idea to decide how you will track your money from month to month. There are many apps and programs to help you with this. A more traditional method is to take cash out for each type of expense and keep it in an envelope so your spending can't spill over from one area to the next. This keeps you from accidentally spending grocery funds on entertainment and makes it easier to visualize your situation. 

Set Rules for Spending

As a couple, you need to decide how much discretionary money each person gets. Do you have a set allowance for fun money each week, or are you able to spend freely as long as purchases are under a certain cap? Be very clear about how you feel on this issue, as a saver may prefer discussing any purchase over $20 while a spender would probably set the cap closer to $100. 

Collaborate on Savings Strategies

Saving is important for healthy finances in any situation. Talk to your spouse about the level of risk that you're comfortable with. There are lots of ways to invest and save ranging from gold bullion from the U S Money Reserve to stock and bonds. A diverse portfolio is usually the best option for balanced financial health. 

Communicate Clearly and Often

Set a meeting time each week or month for you and your spouse to sit down and go over the finances. Communicating often is your best defense against misunderstandings and conflicts down the road.

Using these strategies, you and your spouse can manage your finances wisely with both parties having a fair and equal say in your decisions.