How Investment Advice Could Improve Your Marriage
Few things have more potential for contentious conversations in marriage than money. Investing comes with some ups and downs, and those swings can be emotionally charged for couples trying to navigate how much, when, and into what they’ll invest. It’s often the introduction of professional investment advice that helps settle a dispute or gives shape to an investment strategy that can lead a couple to the road to financial freedom.
So, how can you work with your spouse to achieve a successful investment strategy in a positive way?
Begin with a conversation about your goals. Talk about what you’d like retirement to entail for the two of you, whether that’s traveling the world or settling down close to where your grandkids live. You’ll also want to talk about your goals for contributing to your kids’ education. Do you plan to help them pay for college? Or to help them buy their first home?
Define what success looks like. If you’re a parent, do you have a sum in mind for how much you’d like to set aside for each child’s education? You might have a goal number in mind for retirement, as well as an age that you’d like to set as a date for retiring. Keep in mind that most people live many more years than they anticipate – and that “retirement” may very well mean working part-time for an extended period.
Decide how you’ll get there. This is often where couples run into trouble. Goal-planning is fun because it allows you to dream. Making the sacrifices necessary to make that future happen can be challenging. You may have far different comfort levels when it comes to risk. You may have different ideas about current “wants” versus “needs.” This is typical, and it doesn’t have to stand in the way of a shared journey. (This is where a financial planner or investment advisor can really lend their expertise)
Seek out investment advice. From settling a difference of perspective to simply having a third voice in the discussions that’s completely objective, working with the right investment advisor can be good for preserving the health of your marriage. You can bring separate lists of questions or one shared list and begin the discussion there.
An investment advisor can tell you what you may need to hear, much like a medical professional, rather than what you want to hear. They can help you get past a difficult decision and move your financial goals further along than you ever thought possible.
When you and your spouse are working toward the next chapter, contact us at Family Investment Center. We can help you create a path to your goals in a way that helps you work as a team toward achieving enjoying serious freedom in your finances. Contact us today for an appointment.