"Don't just count your years, make your years count." - Ernest Meyers

In my previous note, I wrote about some "big picture" exercises to have with your partner, or for your own financial reconfiguration.

Those were: 1) Writing Your Money Story and 2) Imagining Your Ideal Financial Scenario. Both of these exercises were to lay the foundation for getting practical -- because the practical outworking that comes from these exercises is where steady foundations are built, or becomes the place at which change actually occurs.

So, this is a small bit of practical advice, building upon those first exercises...

Create Your Family Budget Plan Now
As a couple, begin with the assumption that you will pool your money.

Couples enjoy an economic bonus because two can live more cheaply than both could alone. However, do not expect to achieve financial peace without a plan!

I highly recommend that you plan to live on one salary for the first several years. This is a challenge that too few couples in Salt Lake County accept. If you max your lifestyle to pay for a mortgage, car payments, gym memberships, and the like, you will have no flexibility to adjust when children come. Your first years of marriage offer a great opportunity to save for an emergency fund and a down payment on your first house.

Start by tracking your current expenses to give you a starting point for creating your own budget. Budgeting is like healthy eating. You need to maintain balance and avoid excessive indulgences. 

Going through this exercise will likely reveal who has the greater interest in paying the bills. Even when only one of you will be paying the bills, you can only build trust if you decide together how your money will be spent.

Remember to allocate some savings. After all, as I've written, wealth is not what you spend but what you save and invest.

Now you can build a financial fortress that re-writes your story, and which takes you to the place of your greatest hopes.

Until next week,

Janet Behm

Janet Behm is a CPA for Utah Real Estate Accountants.  To contact Janet, please visit the Business Directory located at:  https://www.utahreia.org/VendorListings.aspx