Dating used to mean splitting pizza…but in our late 40s and 50s, the stakes are exponentially higher.
You’re falling for someone. It feels right. But before this gets serious, you need to have the money talk—it’s not romantic, but it’s essential.
We’re entering relationships with baggage: mortgages, alimony, debt, aging parents, college funds. Ignoring financial reality doesn’t make it disappear—it detonates later.
We have to be ready to ask the hard questions:
- What’s their debt?
- Retirement savings?
- Spending habits?
- Supporting adult children indefinitely?
- Combine finances or keep separate?
Financial incompatibility destroys relationships as effectively as infidelity. Different money values create daily friction that erodes even strong connections.
This isn’t unromantic—it’s respect. Respect for yourself, your future, and the relationship’s actual survival chances.
Have the conversation early. Your heart and retirement account will thank you.
Having ‘The Money Talk’: 6 Critical Topics to Hit With Your Partner
