“Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.” – Proverbs 15:22 My friend, Brad, calls it their annual “Dixie Fraley talk.” Once a year, he and his wife, Nancy, meet with their personal board of directors, which includes their CPA, attorney, and financial planner. Brad and Nancy reveal their balance sheet, […]
Archive | Money & Marriage
Experiences Trump Possessions
What makes you happier–new stuff or enjoyable experiences? CNN reported on new research showing that for most people enjoyable experiences generate more lasting happiness than new stuff. Two key reasons are that experiences tend to involve other people and they’re better than material objects at generating feelings of vitality or “being alive.” I couldn’t agree […]
Story Follow-Ups
In a recent post I summarized an article about appealing your property assessments. One reader wondered what implications a successful appeal might have on his homeowner’s insurance coverage. In another article I had commented on the importance of married couples using joint financial accounts wherever possible. A reader wrote to say that even though many […]
Financial Infidelity
Financial unfaithfulness is widespread. That’s the apparent conclusion of a new survey conducted by Yahoo and research firm Decipher. It found that about half of all people in a serious relationship have committed some kind of financial indiscretion. According to an article about the survey on Yahoo Finance, the deceptions include lying about he cost […]
It All Comes Down to This
“No matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love.” – 1 Corinthians 13:3 (MSG) If February had a theme, it would be, of course, love. Sure, Valentine’s Day has become a bit commercial, with everything from cakes to multi-carat diamonds available in the shape of a heart, but […]
One in Marriage, One in Money
“Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” – Ephesians 5:21 When we were dating and for the first few weeks of our engagement, my wife and I hardly ever had disagreements. Then we went to register for wedding gifts. We had little idea how dissimilar our tastes were. Talking with a good friend […]