Marriage Problems - How the Economy May Be Destroying Your Marriage

  

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Here's a great article from Money Magazine on how today's bad economy can stress out, and even destroy, your marriage. 

Is the Economy Ruining Your Marriage? includes a quiz with 6 real-life scenarios that many of us are dealing with and steps you can take to strengthen your relationship and finances. 

Here are a couple of excerpts:

"It's the biggest stress on married couples in the past 60 years," says Margaret Shapiro, a clinical social worker in Philadelphia. 

• Your company reduced salaries 10% this year, and you're looking hard for ways to cut your family's expenses.
• The value of your home and your portfolio are way down (even after the recent surge in stock prices), and the payments on the big home-equity loan you took to buy that new motorboat are starting to feel out of reach.
• Your spouse was laid off a few months ago.
• You're constantly bickering about when you'll be able to stop working and what kind of lifestyle you'll have once you do.
• You think the financial pickle your family is in now is your husband's fault.
• All you and your spouse seem to do these days is fight about money.

Can you see yourself or your spouse in any of these scenarios?

Take the quiz and get some ideas on possible solutions to these and similar marriage problems and money challenges.  You could also use it to get a money conversation started with your spouse.

Money talks are one of the most difficult topics for almost every couple.  Teaching couples how to effectively talk about money is one of the things I do in my couples counseling with men and their wives.

Here's suggestion to get a money conversation started in your marriage: Forward this post to your partner, ask them to read it and take the quiz, and then tell you how they see your marriage being similar to any of these scenarios.

What are money talks like with your partner?  Let me know in the comment section.