I recently had a conversation with my wife where I told her that an event was going to be held next friday. We left the conversation, and thought we both understood what I meant there. Problem is, we didn’t. She thought it was the next friday on the calendar. I meant next week friday. I can see how we both drew our conclusions based on the words that I used, and how being a little bit more specific (I could have just said, Friday the 20th) would have left nothing open to misinterpretation.
I’ve been thinking about this small example for the past few weeks, and how it relates to money. How often do we use words about saving or spending that we assume mean the same thing to our spouse or partner?
Plato once said that “the beginning of wisdom is the definition of terms” and so I encourage you and your partner to get wise about each other. Here are 9 questions about money that can get you both talking and help you better understand each other.
How much money is a lot of money?
How much money is ’not very much?’ What’s the upper limit?
How much do you need to have in a savings account in order to feel comfortable?
How much debt is too much?
How much should we both feel comfortable spending without at least checking in with each other?
How often should we review our goals around spending and saving?
What’s the best financial decision you’ve ever made?
Can you tell me about a time when you felt in control of money in your life?
When you’re feeling stressed, where do you find yourself spending more money?
What other questions would you add to my list? Please add them in the comments below!
