When you marry, everything turns from mine and yours to ‘ours’. Should finances become ‘ours’ too? Let’s find out!
When it comes to managing finances as a couple, two approaches come into the picture.
- What’s mine is mine, and what’s yours is yours
- What’s yours and mine is now ‘ours’.
You will always see debates on this topic, but as the topic is so important for couples, today we will try to find the correct answer for you!
If we time travel a few decades backwards, we will experience that mothers were homemakers and fathers were breadwinners in most households. But today, the scenarios have changed, and we have seen a rise in women being breadwinners too.
So the question is quite evident:
Should You Combine Your Finances, or Should you Manage Finances Separately?
Firstly, there is no right or wrong answer to this question. A few couples believe in managing finances together, while others keep it separate. Combining your finances can simplify budgeting and increase transparency, but it also comes with its own set of challenges. So, let’s understand the pros and cons of combining finances and accordingly you can decide which one you should go with.
Pros
If you merge your finances, budgeting will get much more straightforward, and the process will be transparent between you and your partner. If you decide to analyse your finances, you will easily understand where you are overspending and where you should cut down your expenses.
At the end of the day, when you have to pay your rent or a bill, you will be equally responsible for paying the bill. One of you won’t feel the burden of fulfilling every obligation. You both will be on the same page when it comes to money.
Lastly, you can create a goal and work towards it in unison. You will be able to save and invest more.
Cons
Even though you see a rosy picture above, there is a harsh side to it as well.
Imagine you are a disciplined investor, and your better half is an impulsive buyer. It is evident that you will be fighting over every little purchase leading to conflicts between you two. Moreover, when you combine finances, you will lose independence as your money will be channelled towards various obligations and goals.
In this world, we don’t want anyone to invade our privacy. But if you combine your finances, you will have to disclose every detail of your financial life with your partner, which is often difficult for individuals.
The Common Way Out
Couples often find common ground where they have a joint account for their common expenses and a personal account for their personal expenses. You will also come across couples who save one person’s salary and spend and invest through another person’s salary.
To conclude, among the three approaches mentioned above, you can choose any one as per your needs. Regardless of the approach taken, both partners need to have open and honest communication about their financial goals and priorities. By doing so, you will not have clashes over finances and can lead a healthy, happy, peaceful life.
