When your spouse makes significant financial moves without your knowledge—that is financial cheating. Studies have found that nearly 60 per cent of all millennials have experienced this at least once in their relationships. We’re not talking about a few thousand rupees in your spouse’s wallet that you didn’t know about… the kind of cheating we’re talking about is one that really challenges trust and communication in a marriage. Maxing out a credit card without you even knowing that the card existed? That is a form of financial infidelity. Hiding or lying about their paycheck? That’s the kind of stuff that can really topple things over. So, once you’ve discovered this is happening in your relationship, what can you do about it?
TRANSPARENT COMMUNICATION
Dave Ramsey discusses the issue by boiling down the matter to a single factor: “there are no positive effect to your marriage when you lie to your spouse.” Obvious, yet overlooked. Here’s more.
UNDERSTAND WHY IT HAPPENED IN THE FIRST PLACE
Try to figure out why they lied in the first place? Are they embarrassed of their situation? In that case, they might need your support. Are they trying to protect your feelings? In such cases, you should go back to point 1 and open up your channels of communication. Here is an interesting video that explores why people lie in relationships…
MAKE BUDGETS TOGETHER
Most importantly, sit together and design your budgets so that both of you are on the same page. The couple from One Big Happy Life talks about how they manage money in their marriage.
