Power to Change » budgeting

Making Decisions in Marriage

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 12:40:07 +0000

My wife wants me to talk about decisions every week. I just want to have fun and be with her. We end up fighting about how much money we can spend on rent, where we should spend Mother’s Day, when I will go back to grad school and more. It’s exhausting and totally drains our joy. Marriage is becoming a decision-making drag. How can we get through these decisions more easily?

Financial Investment Advice

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 12:12:14 +0000

We are a couple who has struggled financially. Now that we are in our late 30’s, have 2 young children and are finally debt free but have no investments, what do we invest in first?

Writing a Will with Grown Children

Mon, 20 Jun 2011 09:21:44 +0000

We are in the process of re-writing our wills. We have a moderate level of investments and 3 grown children. We want to be fair but we have given different amounts to each child to help with various big ticket items like education, vehicles and weddings over the years. Should we try to balance this out in our will or divide things equally?

Newlyweds and Money Matters

Tue, 12 Apr 2011 10:52:14 +0000

I wish we could get married without money! Our budget and wishes for the wedding have gotten out of control, and it seems that it’s the main topic of our conversations when we’re together. When I see how differently we consider money issues, I’m starting to sense that these things will carry over into our marriage. What can we do to get on the same page on money matters?

Parent’s Influence on Financial Decisions

Mon, 21 Feb 2011 12:28:46 +0000

We have borrowed money from our parents on numerous occasions. They have a lot of money and each time we have done this we have paid them back accordingly to a verbal agreement. We don’t have any financial debt with them at this time. However they feel they have the right to speak into our financial decisions. What can we do about this?

Talking About Money

Tue, 21 Dec 2010 12:04:53 +0000

Recently I noticed we are spending more than usual. I suggested that both my wife and I track our spending for the next 2 weeks and she became very agitated. She usually gets defensive if I question her about money but we need to know where the money is disappearing to. How can we discuss this?

Husband’s Priorities

Thu, 22 Apr 2010 19:17:38 +0000

Ever since our children were young, my husband has been spending less time at home. And when he is home, he isn’t really interacting with us. It’s been a slow process but he is almost completely disconnected to any family interactions these days. We worked so hard to have a family. It was a mutual goal. I don’t know why he doesn’t want to be with us. What can I do to encourage him back into our family life?

Discussing High Risk Investments Together

Mon, 19 Apr 2010 19:04:41 +0000

My husband often prefers higher risk Mutual funds but playing with our investment money makes me worry. Is there a good argument for playing this kind of money game? I’d love to go along with his idea for the sake of peace but I am too uncomfortable.

RESP Accounts for Children

Sun, 18 Apr 2010 04:21:12 +0000

We are ready to start some RESP accounts for our children. What advice do you have for us?

Family or Work as a Priority?

Wed, 14 Apr 2010 22:10:21 +0000

My husband and I have always said that family comes first. Right now it feels like he is putting his work first. We have an evening set aside next week to discuss family goals. I want to encourage him to be a more present father figure. Do you have some concrete ideas that I can share with him?