Marriage and Money

To celebrate 100 episodes of Marriage & Money, David & Heather find out how well the saver can answer spender questions and vice versa, as well as sharing some of their favorite spending and saving tips.

Finally, we also announce that we are going to be pausing production of this podcast while we stabilize our schedules after moving back to the US.

Thank you for 100 episodes!

When looking at other people's lives from the outside it can be easy to think they are doing better, or perhaps worse, than they actually are financially.  In today's discussion we discuss how making these assumptions can lead to you sabotaging your own financial goals and what you can do to combat these issues.

When it comes to personal finance, we all start somewhere and we all have more to learn.  As such, it can be intemidating when starting on your personal finance journey to understand where and how to begin.  Today we discuss how to start if you are new to personal finance and want to level up your finances.

It may be hard to believe, but we are already halfway through 2022!  An what better time than midway through the year to check in on the progress you've made so far on your financial goals, and adjust accordingly!  Today we dive into our mid-year discussion as well as offer thoughts on how you can be most successful with yours.

While it is easy to see why an emergency fund is important, it is a lot harder to see how to save for one, especially when money is already tight.  In our conversation this week we discuss a few ways to save for your emergency fund and a little on our journey to create our emergency fund.

If you've been struggling with your budget, there is a good chance it is because situations during the month ended up being different than you originally planned.  In our discussion today we talk about how to make adjustments mid-month as well as a few tips to make the next month more accurate!

You've been working hard and waiting for the right time to buy that house, now you are finally ready to do it.  So what is next?  In today's episode we discuss a few things you will want to have in place and be considering as you look to buy that first home.

It may be easy to think about how you might address a conflict in theory, but what about specific scenarios where you and your spouse may disagree?  Today we jump into 4 common scenarios where couples often run into trouble and talk offer common sense suggestions on how to work through each.

Vacations should be fun!  So why is it than when making decisions on how to spend our time and money we can create situations that result in arguments with our spouse?  Let's talk about a few of the trouble spots we can hit when planning vacations together and some possible ways to get past them.  Also, we end with dreaming about what vacations we'd like to work towards as a couple!

Often times we make our personal finances more complicated than they need to be, which can then introduce confusion or arguments into money conversations.  Today we discuss several ways for you to simplify your finances to make managing them easier!

Like water and fire, money can be either a tool to improve your marriage or a force that creates havoc.  Protecting your marriage against financial arguments certainly isn't easy, but today we discuss a few techniques for protecting your marriage against the harms money can cause.

My apologies, we had some audio problems for David's recording around the 12:30 mark, but it does improve after a couple minutes.

There are a host of options available when looking to start investing or if you are considering taking a new approach.  Each strategy has different levels of risk, reward, and is potentially suited for a different time horizon.  Today we look at several different options to discuss when they might meet your needs best and things to consider when you and your spouse are determining your investment approach. 

Not everyone is able to get on the same page as their spouse right away, in fact, sometimes a spouse might be actively working against what the other spouse is trying to accomplish.  We discuss how to work with a spouse that might be financially irresponsible, and where to start the hard work of rebuilding communication.

This week we look findings from a study done by the AICPA, a prestigious accounting institution, on the top financial trends in the US.  While these trends tend to focus more on the negative, there is light at the end of the tunnel!  Join us as we discuss how to combat these trends in addition to as what is working well!

It doesn't matter if change is for the better or worse, with it brings financial consequences.  Today we discuss what common types of financial transitions are, how to plan for them, and how to thrive in the midst of them.  We discuss some of the changes we've been through through our time as a married couple along with what has gone well and what hasn't.

Everyone comes to a marriage with different financial perspectives and philosophies.  This can add stress and perhaps even hard feelings between partners when these philosophies collide.  Today we have a conversation about how to start these conversations while talking a little about our journey through the ups and downs of conflicting philosophies.

You're no doubt familiar with the concept of spring cleaning, but have you ever thought about how you might apply the concept to your finances?  Today we dive into what spring cleaning might look like for your finances and how you could approach it as a couple.

Today we discuss the most common mistakes people make with their money, often times without even realizing they are mistakes!  Join us as we share about the mistakes we have made and the ones that still tempt us today.

If you are setting goals, why not go big!?  Today we discuss a few of the benefits of aiming high with your goals and how to create a strong BHAG while sharing a few of the BHAGs we've set over the years as well as what might be next.  As always, we wrap up with a related question for you to discuss as a couple.

Having an emergency fund is great, but using it can be an entirely different thing.  What should you be thinking about when a crisis strikes and how do you ensure you are ready for the next one?  We tackle these and other questions today as we dive into handling emergencies.

There are a lot of great questions in the personal finance world, and today we take a crack at providing our answers to 9 of them.  Questions ranging on topics from debt, to retirement, to family planning, and even wills.  Join us for a discussion that spans the gambit of personal finance!

No matter how well you manage your budget, I'm sure you could find a use for some extra cash each month right?  While there is no easy or simple answer for making a little extra money, there are plenty of options on how to do so.  We dive into a few ideas that we've seen work for people we know and what we've tried ourselves.

The two of us have a history of disagreeing on vacations.  David has thought they were extravagant and perhaps even a misuse of money, while Heather has seem them as an essential part of life.  So who is right?  Well, like most things the answer likely rests somewhere in the middle.  Today we talk about our different perspectives on vacations and what we have considered when making vacation budgeting choices.

Marriages live and die by how well you communicate.  Given how critical practicing good communication is, how can you improve it in your own marriage, or even find ways to start communicating beyond the surface if it has been lost in your marriage?  Today we discuss some practical tools for introducing more communication between you and your spouse!

If left unchecked, money issues in your marriage will continue to grow until they blow up in an argument or perhaps even become too large to deal with.  Alternatively, if you can recognize early on some of the common issues married couples face when coming together with alternate viewpoints you can resolve many of these issues before they even start.  In today's episode we review the article linked below which highlights common money issues and ways couples can address them.

We all spend money, but how can you be intentional when doing so in order to get the most of of the money you are spending?  We discuss how to prioritize where your money goes and what to do when your wants don't align between you and your spouse.

At each new stage of your relationship (dating, engaged, married, growing) there are different conversations about money that should be taking place. We dive into what some of the conversations are you should be having at each stage while sharing some stories about our experiences so far at each of them.

One thing is 100% certain, you will die.  What is less certain is whether or not your loved ones will have enough money to maintain their current lifestyle once you are gone.  Today we tackle the difficult topic of life insurance.  Do you need it? How much?  How do you get it?  We all die, so let's be sure we do so mindfully and in a way that doesn't destroy your family while they are already going through a difficult time.

Credit cards may seem like a requirement in today's world, and while there are a lot of good reasons to use them, they certainly aren't without their faults.  So is it possible to go through life without a credit card and why would you want to do so?  Let's talk about it!

The gradual increase of expenses, commonly referred to as lifestyle creep, seems to happen to us all.  Even so, it isn't inevitable, in fact you have it in your power to stop or reverse it in your own life!  Today we dive into how lifestyle creep happens, why it is so hard to stop, and what can be done about it.  Additionally, we close out with a listener question related to a spouse that has maxed out credit cards and is struggling to get on the same page with their budget minded husband.

It's a New Year!  If you want to make progress financially, you need to know where you are going and why.  And what better time to check-in on your financial goals and make new ones than the start of the new year?  Join us for a discussion into how to brainstorm goals, what makes a good goal, and how to prioritize them!

Curiosity can mean the difference between staying the course you are currently on or diving deeper to challenge yourself to become more. So can you grow your curiosity, especially if it is something you aren't even interested in?  And if so, how? Heather and David see what they are curious about and discuss a few ways you can expand your ability to be curious.

Doing what you want to do sounds easy right?  If only that were true.  Self control is easier said than done but it is something we can learn and something we can build up as a skill.  Today we dive into the benefits of self control and how we can develop more of it.

There is an old saying that money can't buy happiness, but is it true?  And if so, to what extent?  Let's wrestle with this question and see what it might be able to tell us about how we can bring more happiness into our marriages.

Inflation has been in the news a lot lately with prices surging on everything from gas to groceries.  So why does this happen and how can we insulate ourselves from it?  The answer isn't as hard as you might believe, and the discussion is most certainly more fun than you would expect!

We all know sexual infidelity is damaging to a marriage, but did you know there is such a thing as financial infidelity which can be just as harmful in extreme cases?  Today we dive into what financial infidelity is, how you can spot it, and how to protect your marriage from it!

The holidays are upon us, and that means family time, and with family comes conversations about religion, politics, and of course money.  So what should we do if the topic of money comes up?  What should we not do?  You may not have a crazy cat lady aunt who wants money for her dear kitty's surgery, but even so you should still consider your approach before diving head first into a conversation that could potentially damage relationships.  Today we discuss different approaches to the conversations to give you a head start on the holidays!

Marriages often suffer for a variety of reasons, but unquestionably near the top of that list of marriage stressors is money.  Today we sit down with financial coach Amy Scott, someone who entered the coaching world after recognizing the challenges money was creating in her marriage and decided to do something about it!  Now, she helps couples (and individuals) get on the the path that is best for them.

Connect with Amy Scott on:

Can a state of mind change the trajectory of your finances?  Your state of mind has a profound influence on your behavior, and while certainly not the only factors, there are several key attributes of our thought life that will push us further towards wealth or further towards poverty.  Today we dive into what those factors are and how we might be able to work on shifting into a rich mindset.

Derrick Kinney sold his financial planning company with the goal of serving even more people than his existing clients.  Today, he hosts the Good Money podcast, is an author, and a financial coach.  We talk with him about how couples can navigate the pitfalls of different money backgrounds/cultures and finding more meaning behind making money than simply a bigger nest egg.  True potential is unlocked when work is paired with purpose!

Join us in one of our most energizing conversations yet!

Find Derrick at:

We get it, managing your personal finances can seem hard, but if you break it down you'll find these are all simple concepts you learned to embrace years ago as a kid.  The key is taking these simple concepts and applying them to your financial life.  In today's discussion we break down these financial best practices into behaviors you've been doing since kindergarten.

Let's be real about this: personal finance can be boring, even a chore at times.  So how do you you add some fun into the equation?  Today we talk with our friends Zach & Meredith and they share how they transitioned from financial discussions that were a disaster to actually looking forward to having them.

So often the things that are holding us back most in our financial success are the very things that have become so engrained in us, they are almost a part of us...our habits!  Let's talk about those bad money habits we all have and how we can be more successful at changing them.  Who knows, we might even come clean on a few bad habits of our own along the way :)

When finances are tight, it is easy to become overwhelmed and not know how or where to start.  When overwhelmed it is even harder to see if there is a way out.  In today's episode, we talk through how we've handled overwhelming moments and some things you can do today in order to get a handle on stressful financial moments.

We are told we need to SAVE, SAVE, SAVE!  So does it ever end?  Is it ever ok to back off of saving and how do you know if you've gotten to a point where you can?  Heather pushes David on when he will end his binge saving ways and we dream about what will change when we hit "our number."

You know you should have a budget, but how to start?  Let's talk through practical strategies for making budgets easier!  While we are at it, we walk through what recommended percentages are for each category of your budget so you can have a starting point to work from!

You don't need to budget to find ways to save extra cash (although it helps!).  Today David & Heather discuss some of their favorite strategies to squeeze a few extra dollars out of a tight month and what you can do to save more money over the long term.