Mike’s habit of saving created a nice nest egg for his future. His disciplined spending habits stemmed from his worry about money, having watched his dad struggle after the family business went bankrupt. Kathy grew up in a financially secure, but emotionally inadequate family. Her parents’ material expressions of love and their lack of affection [...]

In most relationships, couples exhibit two different financial personalities – to differing degrees, of course. One partner is the Saver who, given the choice, would opt to put most of their earnings in the bank, is cautious with spending and very aware of how much things cost. Money is saved for a rainy day; credit [...]

Adam and Karen had been happily married for six years. In their first counseling session with us, they described having grown emotionally distant since Adam lost his job eight months ago. At first, Adam was hopeful and Karen was supportive, but as days turned into months, with no job in sight, the tension in their [...]

Alison buys a purse for $250 but is afraid to tell her husband. So, she tears up the receipt. What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him. Mark goes to the race track and gambles $1,000 instead of sticking to the $500 limit he agreed upon with his wife. He figured he’d win it back and [...]

Are you financially naked with each other? Being financially intimate means revealing yourself fully to your partner about money – in the currencies of both dollars and emotions. It means being mutually transparent about bank accounts, credit cards, debt, investments, inheritances. No secrets, no lies. It also involves knowing your own deep feelings about money [...]