Disagreements over money are an inevitable part of married life. Yet disagreements over the spending and saving of money are one of the main reasons why couples divorce.
If you’re a spendthrift, divorcing your spouse in the hope of “marrying up” is a bad bet.
Perhaps it primarily comes down to someone teaching you, your spouse, or the both of you how to live within your means.
If you don’t know anyone locally who gives good personal household financial advice, we recommend Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University: https://www.daveramsey.com/fpu
After you’ve gotten some advice, gather up your info and review them with a financial planner. No, not so that you can start “investing for your future,” but so you can get a snapshot of where you are now, what divorce is going to change, where you want to be in the future, and how you’re going to get there.
Think of it in this light: if finances are putting a strain on your marriage, you have every reason to put your house in order. Take the first steps. See how much work you have before you.
If cleaning up your family finances saves your marriage, fantastic. But even if righting the financial ship doesn’t save your marriage, it will still help you maintain more control over your financial future and spare you a lot of doubt and potential embarrassment.