Real Answers for Life’s Money Challenges
I married my husband knowing about his student loans.
I didnt dive right in to address them, because I was under the impression he was handling them.
Weve been married almost four years now, and after he asked me to help, we consolidated them.
He would rather not discuss them at all.
Should I pour all my resources into helping pay this off in the interest of us?
Or should I just leave it to him to take care of his loans?
Its not that we dont trust our spouses to be responsible members of our households.
The problem is that what one person considers handled may be far from it by another persons standards.
You went above and beyond, while others were satisfied doing the minimum required.
Expectations have a tendency to be miscommunicated unless theyreovercommunicated.
Probably not as good as youd like.
It always seems like an uphill battle to build (and keep) a decent amount in savings.
But what if your car breaks down, or you have a sudden medical bill?
Thats what Im sensing here.
No matter how well-meaning you are, your husband probably feels like you dont trust his judgment.
I usually recommend having this kind of conversation over sandwiches, but… maybe wine.
Save this kind of discussion for your best waking hours together.
Its a question of whether you want to work together to achieve a shared goal.
You cant do anything in the interest of us if youre not already on the same financial page.
What do you want your familys life to be like in five years?
Start there, and then decide together what you want to do to reach those goals.
Disclaimer: Chosen questions and featured answers will appear in The Penny Hoarders Dear Penny column.
I wont be able to answer every single letter (I can only bang out so fast!).
We reserve the right to edit and publish your questions.
Dont worry your identity will remain anonymous.
I do, however, promise to give you honest advice based on my own insights and real-life experiences.
Lisa Rowan is a senior writer at The Penny Hoarder.
When you log into your bank account, how do your savings look?
Probably not as good as youd like.
It always seems like an uphill battle to build (and keep) a decent amount in savings.
But what if your car breaks down, or you have a sudden medical bill?
