Communication | Bronze Serpent Media

It is such a common saying today that it becomes cliché. Many people ask what is the secret to a great relationship, marriage, or business. One of the main ways you can have the best of any of these is to improve your communication. This is also, even especially true, with regard to money and your family's finances. Perhaps you are the spouse that has decided to shoulder the tremendous burden of making sure all the bills are paid, there's money in the savings account, and that retirement accounts are being contributed to. While there can be a great feeling of responsibility that is soothed when we do this, it only ends up leaving the other spouse in the dark. Many couples have one person that is more numbers oriented and one that couldn't care less. Great! That does not mean that one should shoulder the entire financial responsibility. Both can help the other learn new ways of looking at reality and dealing with the world. The numbers spouse can learn how to let certain things go and live more in the moment without the worry of how it will be paid for. Together, the "care-free" spouse can help the "numbers" spouse plan for spontaneity so it isn't a burden. This can help them draw closer to the "care-free" spouse's thinking. The more "care-free" spouse can learn to take small steps to realize how their actions can be impacting the family's finances. It feels good to go out and have a nice meal at a restaurant. That expense has a monetary cost and a cost toward the family's future financial goals. Someone who doesn't like looking at numbers can start to see this and thus draw closer to the "numbers" spouse's way of thinking. Rather than say one side is better then the other (it isn't), communicating about money dreams, goals, and desires helps both better understand the other's mindset. If you have been putting off a money conversation because it is easier, I challenge you to have that conversation this week. Not as an excuse to voice annoyances or grievances, but to address money subjects in love to your spouse. When both of you are on the same page and working toward the same goal, there's no telling what you will be able to accomplish.