Fight-free family planning

Not married to your financial twin? Don’t fret, here are some ways to prevent and remedy commons fights that can occur while family planning.

Read onto find out the best way to family planning

Be open about your goals

Communication is absolutely essential in a marriage and it can prevent many unnecessary fights that arise. These are some topics that you and your spouse need to discuss to maintain a good understanding of each other’s needs.

How many kids do we want?

What kind of life do we want?

What kind of education will our kids receive?

When will we retire?

Ideally, you and your spouse should have discussed these topics before getting hitched, but it’s better late than never!

Talking about your goals and expectations will help your spouse and you to take a realistic look at your financial situation and how it needs to be improved or changed.

Support your spouse’s decisions

If your partner feels that he or she isn’t ready to have a family because they don’t feel financially comfortable or want to focus their career first, be understanding and supportive of their decisions.

Work out a ‘game plan’ and set a deadline to save up the necessary amount of money or get that much needed promotion.

This will take a whole lot of cooperation as both of you need to be comfortable with the deadline and work hard to meet it, but it’s better than forcing your spouse to have children when they aren’t ready.

Talk about family spending styles

Before you and your spouse have children, talk about what kind of spending style you’d prefer for your family.

Is your spouse more pampering, while you’re more frugal? Instead of accusing your spouse of being a spendthrift, sit down and talk to them so that you can understand their point of view.

Then, discuss how you want to teach your child about money, so that the both of you can come to a reasonable compromise.

Remember to remain objective

Through any money-related conflict with your spouse, remain objective and try not to bring up other factors or problems in the marriage. Also, refrain from criticising or name-calling when disagreeing about finances.

You and your spouse should strive to manage your financial situation like a business. Be transparent and responsible with your spending and make sure every cent is accounted for. Try not to make huge purchases, like a brand new crib or baby stroller, without talking to your spouse about it first.

Your marriage is a union; so when it comes to money, respect your spouse as you would a business partner.

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Written by

Felicia Chin

Money Managementchildrenfinancefamily planning