Money and Marriage

It's crucial to be on the same page with your partner when it comes to money. For many years, I lived unmarried with my future husband. We got to know one another's money habits pretty well. We eventually married mostly because we both wanted to move and buy a house. I pushed him to finally get a divorce because I faced open heart surgery and did not want to leave my apartment to him if he was still married to the mother of his children. Anyway by then we had both established ourselves as consistent savers. Although when we met, my savings consisted of a $200 cushion in my checking account. By the time we married we both had substantial emergency reserves. In the beginning there was stress in our relationship because he was having trouble keepng up with child support. This was unaceptable to me. I may be cheap but certain things must be paid for properly. Within a year that problem went away and we got on track. We always kept seperate checking accounts but a joint savings. I have my money and he has his money. This arrangement works for us. We each need mad money and together we need savings. Some would say that we need to combine all our monies. This may be the best thing in the end but our money habits as a couple were established before we were married. I'm a "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" kinda gal and this arrangement works for us. We also have seperate credit cards. The important thing is to communicate and talk about money issues. Find someone with the same views on money as well as similar goals and dreams for the future.