It’s that time of year again… the W2s are arriving in the mail, the questions from your accountant, the donations, the write offs … all of those wonderful details that go into your 2023 filing!

And if you are in a committed relationship that co-mingles assets, there can often be one member of the couple who feels that they take on more of the responsibilities than their partner does for managing the tax filings.

There are tons of responsibilities that go into running a household. When we share these with another person (whether through cohabitation, a marriage, or when we enter in a new relationship post-divorce), sometimes we divide these household responsibilities without much conversation. While this can work out just fine, it can unintentionally set things up in an unbalanced way.

This imbalance can be particularly disruptive with Financial Management Roles.

We can fall easily into the role of bill payer, budget maker, book keeper of the household without wanting to take on that responsibility, but never think that there could be a different way of doing things.

The opposite likewise can be true — that we are left out of these financial decisions, but would like to participate more.

This can lead to problems of resentment by both parties — the person who feels overburdened and the person who feels left out.

But things can change… you can update your roles to align in a way that makes more sense for your home.

The Financial Management Role Questionnaire can help:

1. Identify who fills which financial management role in your household (you, them, both, neither, etc).

2. Make note of if you would like this dynamic to change or if you are happy with the way things are arranged regarding that item.

Click here for the form - Financial Management Role Questionnaire

This can be a great conversational tool to help identify if you want to update the roles that you’ve both fallen into. It can also be a wonderful tool to use before cohabitation to help clarify roles from the get-go.

If you find yourself needing help with those conversations, give me a call. Couples Financial Therapy can be amazing for addressing this issue together to find the perfect fit of balance for your relationship.

Email: DrZepeda@FinancialTherapyTexas.com

Phone: 713-291-9553

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