As published in the January/February 2017 issue of Balance, a Manitoba Teachers’ Society publication.
You’ve just moved in with your current love or maybe you’ve just got engaged. This is a happy, exciting time in your life. The two of you may have discussed where to go on a honeymoon, whether or not to have children, how many or where your dream house will be. But have you had a conversation with each other with regard to your finances? Everything listed above costs money and both of you need to be honest with each other regarding your finances in order to have those things.
As you begin a new, permanent relationship, it is time to set your financial goals as a couple and to be honest about your money values.
Through the busyness of our own lives, we need to keep in mind that managing finances will become increasingly difficult for our parents and grandparents as they age. When a person ages they can easily lose sight of how to handle money, and even a financially astute person can quickly move to a state of being unable to cope with their finances. If this isn’t recognized it can be very stressful and costly for the elder.
