Brides USA

POLL

WHAT DO YOU WISH

YOU’D KNOWN ABOUT

MONEY GOING INTO

MARRIAGE?

“You can’t think

of it as ‘my money’

and ‘his money.’ It’s

now ‘our money.’ ”

“Read the fine print

on contracts and

loans and understand

interest rates.”

“Real life is

expensive!”

6 1 %

OF RECENT BRIDES SAY

THEY CAME INTO THEIR

MARRIAGE WITH DEBT.

WHAT KIND (OR KINDS)

OF DEBT DID YOU BRING?

42% Student loans

26% Credit card

21% Car loan

14% Mortgage

7% Medical

1 IN 10

DOES NOT KNOW

HER PARTNER’S

ANNUAL SALARY.

41% MAKE MORE

THAN THEIR HUSBAND.

DO YOU AND YOUR

PARTNER HAVE JOINT

BANK ACCOUNTS?

39% Yes, all are joint.

36% Some are joint.

25% No.

IF YOU HAVE JOINT

ACCOUNTS, WHEN DID

YOU MERGE THEM?

21% When we

moved in together.

10% While we were

engaged.

29% Within three months

after the wedding.

15% At another time.

HOW MUCH DO YOU AND

YOUR GUY TALK ABOUT

MONEY?

16% At least once a day.

54% At least once a week.

19% At least once a month.

11% Rarely ever.

We a s k e d 102 newly wed

women about how money affected

their first year of marriage

FINANCES

All About

1

Set a budget.

Divide your total

income something

like this: 55% to

critical expenses

(housing, food, heath),

20% to lifestyle

(shopping, et cetera),

25% to savings.

2

Tackle the bad

debt. “Pay your

ugliest, highest-

interest-rate balance

off first,” he says. And

no matter who has the

debt, always pay it

off together. After all,

you’re a team now.

3

Work on your 911

fund. Start by

saving one month’s

worth of critical

expenses, then build

to three, then six.

“Trust me, you want to

have this safety net,”

says Motske.

4

Discuss long-term

goals. Do you

want kids? A new

home? Sit down and

talk about these

things candidly. And

remember: It’s never

too early to start

saving for retirement.

5

Celebrate your vic-

tories. If you pay off

something, reward

yourself with a dinner

out or a weekend

away. “Do something

that’s propor tional

to how hard you

worked,” says Motske.

LET’S TALK MONEY, HONEY Jeff Motske, financial planner and author of The Couple’s Guide to Financial

Compatibility, breaks down the five steps to being a happy threesome (you, your guy, and your collective cash)

30 %

ADMIT THAT THEY’VE

LIED TO THEIR SPOUSE

ABOUT HOW MUCH

THEY PAID FOR

SOMETHING.

WHAT SPENDING

HABIT OF YOURS

DRIVES HIM CRAZY?

“Coffee on the

way to work.”

“Seamless.”

“Online shopping.”

“Massages and

manicures.”

47% SAY THAT

EATING OUT IS THEIR

BIGGEST SPLURGE

AS A COUPLE.

80 JUNE/JULY 2016 BRIDES.COM

FROM LEFT: PHILIPPE REGARD/GETTY; GETTY. SURVEY DATA COLLECTED FROM 102 WOMEN WHO HAVE BEEN MARRIED IN THE LAST TWO YEARS, USING SURVEY MONKEY AUDIENCE.