Financial Compatibility Checklist
1. How often do you and your partner agree on financial issues?
a. Most of the time.
b. Frequently.
c. Rarely or never.
2. How often do you and your partner talk about money matters?
a. At least once a week.
b. Every couple of months.
c. Hardly ever.
3. When a “financial” emergency occurs, what do you and your partner do?
a. Confront the situation and figure out the best course of action. We make the decision together.
b. I don’t get involved; let my partner handle the situation.
c. Try to assign responsibility to the appropriate party. The person who is responsible has to deal with it.
4. Do you ever try to hide your debt from your partner?
a. No, never. We discuss everything honestly and face it together as a couple.
b. Sometimes.
c. Always. It’s not their concern.
5. If you receive a bonus or commission from your job or any other unexpected money, do you tell your partner about it?
a. Yes, because it’s our money.
b. Sometimes, but not all the time. If I feel like sharing the money, I will.
c. Never. It’s my money.
6. Do you have a prenuptial agreement or any type of written agreement that stipulates the division of financial assets in the event of a break-up or divorce?
a. Yes. Our prenuptial agreement clearly stipulates how the financial assets are to be allocated in the event of a break-up.
b. My partner knows what belongs to me and we don’t need an agreement.
c. No, we never talk about that.
7. Do you and your partner have a financial plan for retirement and do you both make equal financial contributions?
a. Yes, we actively plan for our financial future together.
b. We have separate accounts and retirement goals.
c. We will deal with it when the time comes. Right now, we have other concerns.
8. If your partner became disabled, are there any written provisions that stipulate your responsibilities?
a. Yes. We have a written agreement that stipulates our responsibilities to each other.
b. My partner knows how I feel so there is no need to have a written agreement.
c. We don’t think about that.
Assessment: If you answer “a” to at least 6 out of the 8, you’re doing reasonably well as a team. Clearly you are “in sync” on major issues but you and your partner still need to do more work to solidify your situation. Mostly “b” answers with a few “a” answers shows that you and your partner acknowledge the importance of working together as a team to build a financial future but haven’t put any serious effort into creating a financial plan. If you answered “c” to 4 or more answers, then you and your partner are basically going it alone, at least financially, in the relationship and neither party thinks about money management.
This checklist is strictly for entertainment/informational purposes!
a. Most of the time.
b. Frequently.
c. Rarely or never.
2. How often do you and your partner talk about money matters?
a. At least once a week.
b. Every couple of months.
c. Hardly ever.
3. When a “financial” emergency occurs, what do you and your partner do?
a. Confront the situation and figure out the best course of action. We make the decision together.
b. I don’t get involved; let my partner handle the situation.
c. Try to assign responsibility to the appropriate party. The person who is responsible has to deal with it.
4. Do you ever try to hide your debt from your partner?
a. No, never. We discuss everything honestly and face it together as a couple.
b. Sometimes.
c. Always. It’s not their concern.
5. If you receive a bonus or commission from your job or any other unexpected money, do you tell your partner about it?
a. Yes, because it’s our money.
b. Sometimes, but not all the time. If I feel like sharing the money, I will.
c. Never. It’s my money.
6. Do you have a prenuptial agreement or any type of written agreement that stipulates the division of financial assets in the event of a break-up or divorce?
a. Yes. Our prenuptial agreement clearly stipulates how the financial assets are to be allocated in the event of a break-up.
b. My partner knows what belongs to me and we don’t need an agreement.
c. No, we never talk about that.
7. Do you and your partner have a financial plan for retirement and do you both make equal financial contributions?
a. Yes, we actively plan for our financial future together.
b. We have separate accounts and retirement goals.
c. We will deal with it when the time comes. Right now, we have other concerns.
8. If your partner became disabled, are there any written provisions that stipulate your responsibilities?
a. Yes. We have a written agreement that stipulates our responsibilities to each other.
b. My partner knows how I feel so there is no need to have a written agreement.
c. We don’t think about that.
Assessment: If you answer “a” to at least 6 out of the 8, you’re doing reasonably well as a team. Clearly you are “in sync” on major issues but you and your partner still need to do more work to solidify your situation. Mostly “b” answers with a few “a” answers shows that you and your partner acknowledge the importance of working together as a team to build a financial future but haven’t put any serious effort into creating a financial plan. If you answered “c” to 4 or more answers, then you and your partner are basically going it alone, at least financially, in the relationship and neither party thinks about money management.
This checklist is strictly for entertainment/informational purposes!
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