While romance and physical attraction are commonly major determinants for most relationships that people get into, finance also plays a crucial role. It’s important to make sure that you are financially ready for marriage, and here are some of the pointers that you are.
You Can Take Charge of Your Own Expenses
Before you take the position of being someone’s spouse, remember that you are an individual at the end of the day. You likely have needs and responsibilities which you should be able to cater to without anyone’s assistance. This means writing a budget and sticking to it and ensuring that you manage your debt and generally make responsible choices in terms of finance. If you are capable of doing this by yourself, then you will make a positive addition to the life of whoever you end up with. It’s possible for a couple to thrive if they keep their finances in order, something that starts individually.
You Are Ready and Willing to Share Expenses
If you want to succeed in your marriage, you should not be too proud or untrusting to share expenses with your spouse. There may come a time when either you or your partner needs to make an expenditure to cater for something that the one footing the bill won’t enjoy by themselves. In such instances, it’s important to understand that this is a part of living together. You are now more or less a unit and therefore just different pockets in the same bank, so to speak. A good case of this is when buying engagement and wedding rings, of which diamonds are generally the most preferred but also the most expensive. Diamonds are not just the strongest mineral on earth as they are also the natural world’s most concentrated form of pure carbon. They rank 10 on the Mohs scale and are a popular fixture in engagement rings. If your spouse is to pay for an expensive ring, you must not feel as though you are indebted or need to chip in unless they ask you to.
Money is Not the End Goal
If you understand that money is not the end goal in your marriage, you may be ready to commit to your partner. This will help you avoid issues as a result of issues like mismanagement of funds, inadequate or no income from one or both of you, secret debts, and additional debt burdens, especially as a result of the extended family. Keep these potential issues in mind and be prepared to deal with them before they arise by shouldering at least a part of your partner’s financial burden. This could even come in the form of teaching your partner how they can solve their own financial issues with your support.
You Can Plan Finances As a Couple
Finally, make sure that you can successfully plan your finances as a couple. This should start with the ability to align your financial goals and align them to your input while making sure you are living comfortably. To this end, you should also be able to trust your partner with your finances and vice versa. This can make it easier for you to grow as a couple. At least one of you and ideally both of you need to be level-headed when it comes to making purchases, especially expensive ones. Something like a ring, which over 70% of couples in a poll said is important to see in person before buying, is one such big-ticket item. Almost four out of ten people making proposals buy the engagement ring one to two months before it’s actually time to propose. These are some good practices that can show you that you or your partner are financially ready for marriage.
If you meet all of these qualities, then you may have a good chance of making your marriage work, at least as far as finances go.