‘Money Issues’ Is the Third Leading Cause of Divorce in America—Here’s How Couples Can Avoid Fighting About Financial Matters

Criminal AttorneyMay 22, 2020

After ‘basic incompatibility’ and infidelity’, ‘money issues’ is cited to be one of the leading cause of a couple’s decision to call it quits, according to a survey of certified divorce financial analyst professionals from North America. This said it’s important for married couples to find ways to approach the topic of money without it causing strife in their relationship.

Luckily, Christy Bieber, a journalist who’s had her work published in the International Business Times, Yahoo! Finance and CNN, has some tips stemming from her own experience in dealing with financial matters with her husband.

And it seems like she’s really someone to listen to as she and her husband have reportedly never fought about money in their eight years of marriage.

The Big Goals

Bieber said that they had to determine their goals over multiple discussions but things became easier after

The first secret behind this feat is that Bieber and her husband have taken the time to talk about and agree on their big financial goals like saving for retirement, how to spend for a house and building emergency savings. In fact, they actually had these discussions even before they got married. And to account for big changes, like having a baby, the two reconvene once a year to reevaluate their goals.

After settling on a broad plan for their finances as a married couple, they then automated the money transfers to go towards their goals. According to Bieber, she and her husband automatically send money to their respective accounts for mortgage, savings and retirement funds every month.

Separate Spending Cash

Having separate accounts can help couples avoid fights stemming from how each spends their own money

Another reason why the writer and her husband never argue about money is that they don’t dictate what the other does with it. While both of them contribute to funding their shared longterm goals and paying their bills, they still keep their own money in separate accounts.

The money in these accounts and where it goes isn’t up for approval of the other person. In Bieber’s case, the setup evolved out of need as both she and her husband are self-employed and already keep their own business accounts.

Celebrating Differences

While couples may agree on some financial matters, it’s still important to accept each other’s differing outlook on finances

In the end, though, Bieber attributes their lack of money fights to the fact that they both celebrate the other’s different way of thinking and approaching financial matters. For example, the writer says that she respects how her husband is more geared towards saving and is generally much more cautious when it comes to money.

In fact, Bieber says that it was her husband who inspired her to put more towards savings. What more, she understands that his attitude is just due to the fact that he’s only looking out for both of them.

Similarly, he’s grown not to be concerned about Bieber’s spending habits and to appreciate the amazing experiences he’s spent money on due to her encouragement.