'Til debt us do part

So it’s Valentine’s Day, and I’m as romantic as the next woman (so long as the next women isn’t Anne Widdicombe).....BUT

did you know more than 70% of relationships fail because of debt and money worries?

So here are our Sheconomics tips for financial bliss:

1. Don’t make money the taboo topic in your relationship. Open up and talk, share, commit to joint goals, look into each other’s dark corners and confront what’s there.

2. Be honest. Buying stuff behind the other’s back, lying about what you spend and secretly squirreling money away – it’s just financial adultery.

3. Be a team. Share financial decisions and problem solving. Have joint access to information, accounts and funds. Never leave one partner to do everything.

4. Be prepared to renegotiate terms if you have to adjust to tricky life transitions e.g. one of you being out of work. Having a single income might knock the budget but it shouldn’t shift the balance of power.

5. Generosity, understanding and trust are key to keeping that lifelong union going. A healthy dose of these will also ensure that when money issues crop up, they don’t trip up your relationship.