There are many different reasons couples decide to get a divorce, but there are few things as destructive as money trouble in marriage.
Not having any money is an obvious stressor, but more often, conflicting plans and ideas about money and how it should be handled can be more damaging. Some of the common money problems in marriage that we see include:
- Conflicting Money Styles – It’s actually very common for two people to get together who have completely different money styles. For example, one spouse could be a penny pincher, always saving coupons and keeping the savings account filled, and the other could be a spender. The fact that each spouse has a different approach is not a problem; the problem comes when one or both spouses try to change the other.
- Foolish Spending – According to experts, the number one financial cause of divorce is when one spouse feels the other is spending their money foolishly. What’s considered to be foolish spending varies from couple to couple, but the result is the same; a 45 percent chance of divorce according to Jeffrey Dew, a professor at the University of Utah who studied how finances can impact a marriage.
- Following the Mold – Traditionally, men have long been expected to be the fiscal heads of household, but that’s not always the case. If a couple insists on following this model even if the roles should realistically be reversed, it could greatly increase the amount of financial stress in the marriage, and therefore the risk of divorce.
- Materialism – Obviously, if one or both spouses seem to value materialistic pleasures or possessions over the relationship, it’s going to fail. A marriage cannot be about making money or achieving a higher status, otherwise it is surely doomed to fail.
Financial stress can put a lot of strain on a marriage. Sometimes these issues can be remedied, and other times they can’t. Divorce is not just the end of one thing. It is the beginning of something new.
Texas divorce attorneys at JulianJohnson, P.C. have helped countless couples come to peaceful terms, allowing everyone to start fresh and live the life they’ve always wanted.
