I don't know, my husband takes care of all that

[Alice]

I think there is a difference between having one spouse take care of certain areas and one spouse not being capable of taking care of those areas. My dh and I call it “having different areas of influenceâ€. Meaning I do all the bills and short term financial stuff, I take care of ordering/planning homeschool, I usually manage the family calendar, I take care of any medical things. He takes care of pretty much anything related to house maintenance, car maintenance, long term financial stuff. I think we both see it as a waste of time for both of us to be in control of everything. We do periodically have discussions if we need to discuss something from a bigger picture viewpoint. For example, if we need to talk about budgeting or I want his input on big decisions about school we’d talk. But if it’s how much the electrical bill is monthly or which exact math lessons we are doing that week, we wouldn’t discuss it.

 

I’d say though that both of us are capable of filling into the others shoes if needed. For both of us it would require some learning curve, but we’d be able to do it. My Mom is different. She has no idea of their finances, no desire to know and no ability to manage them if something happened to my Dad. In fact, I have all their info in case something happens to him because dh and I would have to step in and take over. That’s been her choice, not one I agree with but it’s hers.

[justamouse]

Then I also have a theory and I can't prove it, but I wonder if many of these women went from living at home or college strait to having a home WITH a husband? I lived alone for a long time and had to take care of things on my own before we married. I wonder if women who were single for a while are more attentive to these things? I could be wrong, as it is just a theory.

 

Are we odd?

 

Nope, I lived on my own before I got married. I just really, really hate it. I'm not a details person. He is totally a details person. :D

[jennynd]

I am one of those woman have very little knowledge of many financial detail. I work full time as engineer. There were about 3 years I was the bread winner when my husband was working on his PhD and I did the bill back then, But I suck when it goes to money. I am not detailed nor organized and forget to pay bills. My check books was a mess. After Hubby started to work and we have kids, Hubby took over all the money issue. I do know which insurance company we have, what is my bank for saving and investment. But not beyond that. My paycheck goes to join account and that is all I know.

[kubiac]

My dh and I call it “having different areas of influenceâ€.

 

Love this terminology! That's exactly how it is in our house. For example, I used to do all the yardwork (I've given it up since the babies started coming) because I love that stuff and my husband never met a blade of grass he didn't want to replace with concrete. We always joke that our "neuroses intertwine perfectly"--we just have different things that we like doing and these things largely complement each other.

 

http://supratentorial.wordpress.com/

 

Aaaah! My crazy doctor brother-in-law just taught me the word supratentorial. He says that patients know what hypochondria is, so if you want to be standing in front of a patient and imply to your doctor colleagues or the nurse that your patient may just be nutty, you can state that the pain or disorder may be of "supratentorial" origin, LOL.

[twoxcell]

Well I went from my parents home to being married and I know all about our finances. In fact I'm the one who takes care of the bills, taxes, etc.;)

[melissad2]

Sometimes I wish....LOL I take care of all the financial info and it's my husband who doesn't have much of a clue.

 

:iagree:

[GoVanGogh]

My husband takes care of our finances, insurances, taxes, etc.

 

DH has always had a desk job that allowed him to talk on the phone during work hours. He could call a company to research something, he could leave a message and (generally) be available to talk when the person returned his phone call. He can also go in late or take a longer lunch hour, if he needs to take care of something in person.

For years, DH worked at a company with their own credit union and most of our accounts were through his work, his paycheck (direct deposit) or his company's credit union. It just made sense that he would deal with any issues.

When we first married, I was in college - pre-cell phone days - so I didn't have access to a phone. The jobs I had after graduation didn't have the flexibility to talk on the phone or leave to run to the bank, etc.

When our DS was born premature and had an extended NICU stay and someone needed to spend 20 hours a week dealing with insurance, it was DH because I was busy with the baby.

 

DH did work out of town for several years and I took care of everything then. It isn't rocket science, but not something I enjoy doing. I take care of our meals, schedule, home issues and yard work. DH takes care of finances.

 

It just is how it works in our family. I find it odd that someone would judge or think less of me because I don't do the finances.

 

The "I don't know..." reply.

I say that all the time, but the reason is that I don't think it is proper to talk about finances and I am amazed at how many people want to talk about how much they spend on car insurance or how much they saved on homeowner's insurance or what they are paying for their new car.

"I don't know" is the easiest, safest way to shut off the conversation than, "Well, I'd rather not discuss that."

[GoVanGogh]

We currently have enough in savings and make enough that we do not have to be concerned with every little detail, from month to month. Maybe that is part of the difference. If things were tight, I could see where I might have to stay more up to date in the details to make sure I am not over spending in an area inadvertently.

I was going to post my own theory, then decided against it. Now I see someone has already mentioned it so I will say :iagree:

I do think this is a big part of it. When a family has enough money in the bank to be able to pay for three home repairs than happen within two weeks (something that just happened to us :tongue_smilie:), you just don't stress over your finances or worry about the day to day details. I think it makes a world of difference in attitude.

[FairyMom]

Sometimes I wish....LOL I take care of all the financial info and it's my husband who doesn't have much of a clue.

 

:lol: Me too. Although, blowing your theory out of the water, Dawn; I met my husband when I was 18. :D

[MomatHWTK]

Cell phone- Me: No idea, don't want to know, got enough stuff to think about. I pay the bill and if he makes a change that's going to increase it he lets me know. So I do know the carrier, but as far as answering questions about the plan- no way. My phone works, I'm happy.

 

Utilities, insurance, other bills- DH: No idea, don't need to know, trust my wife to take care of that. If I need to know, I'll ask her. ETA: I have updated him recently because several of our utility bills have increased. Sometimes he calls me to ask me what our monthly bill was so he can talk about with his workmates. (i.e. What's your water bill? Mine was XXX last month!)

Edited July 26, 2012 by MomatHWTK

[DawnM]

Yeah, we balance each other out as well.

 

He will spend months and months deciding on a large purchase. Once I decide what I want I want it NOW! :D

 

OK, I was trying to be a little nicer about it, but yeah good description! :tongue_smilie:

 

He has suggested once or twice that I take over so I can see 'reality'. His 'reality' is skewed toward aggressive saving, so I don't think it would happen (my seeing it). The fact is, I am less likely to be convinced by his arguments after all these years. We have both a house and a car paid off, among many other things he just knew we could not afford. We almost lost our bid on this house b/c he wanted to save a few thousand dollars. Then there is the time he told me I was going to have to return my brand new car to the dealer--the car he made the decision to buy with me at his side--- (I believed him and spent the entire night imagining the scene. We laugh about it now). That's the car we have had paid off for years. :lol: At any rate, I balance him out and he balances me out nicely. I'm a little more inclined to spend. And we have fun stories to tell!

[Nestof3]

I was going to post my own theory, then decided against it. Now I see someone has already mentioned it so I will say :iagree:

I do think this is a big part of it. When a family has enough money in the bank to be able to pay for three home repairs than happen within two weeks (something that just happened to us :tongue_smilie:), you just don't stress over your finances or worry about the day to day details. I think it makes a world of difference in attitude.

 

Yes, we have always had in the last few years money for those sorts of things. What stresses me out is that my dh forgets that it takes a while for the business account to build up each year after it is drained over the winter. I dread the, "How much is in the account?" question, because I know how much it can change in a few days if I have to pay quarterly taxes, monthly withholding, etc. He sees all this money that we are billing but forgets how much it costs to run the business.

[DawnM]

Well, it doesn't need to be just a few people who don't fit the theory to make it blown out of the water. But I could still be wrong.

 

It could just be a personality thing too.

 

:lol: Me too. Although, blowing your theory out of the water, Dawn; I met my husband when I was 18. :D

[BoyOBoy]

We're all over the place here. I pay the bills because he forgot a few times:glare:. He takes care of the IRA and other investments. I have basically no idea what is where with that stuff, though he tries to talk to me about it. He is in grad school right now, so finances are just strange. We have money that we don't have. We talk about it frequently to decide when/if to take loans for a semester, how much to keep in the bank, how many months of cushion to have for potential unemployment after graduation. However, we have never had an actual budget. We aren't naturally big spenders, so we rarely buy anything we don't need. I anticipate that a budget will become more of a necessity as our family, and our expenses, grow.

FYI: I went straight from college to marriage.

[DawnM]

We stick to a pretty detailed budget anyway, even though we have enough and we have adequate savings, etc....

 

I was going to post my own theory, then decided against it. Now I see someone has already mentioned it so I will say :iagree:

I do think this is a big part of it. When a family has enough money in the bank to be able to pay for three home repairs than happen within two weeks (something that just happened to us :tongue_smilie:), you just don't stress over your finances or worry about the day to day details. I think it makes a world of difference in attitude.

[FairyMom]

Well, it doesn't need to be just a few people who don't fit the theory to make it blown out of the water. But I could still be wrong.

 

It could just be a personality thing too.

 

I was about ready to add, I think it's a personality thing. I was an old soul at 18 who knew how much our electric bill was in kwh. I still do. It would freak me out to have someone else in complete control of my finances. Maybe that stems from my parents' divorce? Who knows... interesting questions.

[Pixjen]

Sometimes I wish....LOL I take care of all the financial info and it's my husband who doesn't have much of a clue.

 

:iagree: Same here. I'd love to live in the Land of Oblivion. *lol*

[Mom-ninja.]

DH and I talk about all of these things.....down to the last penny almost! AND I know all our companies and policy info. I would hate to think something happening to DH and me not knowing where that info was and how to handle my own affairs.

 

Then I also have a theory and I can't prove it, but I wonder if many of these women went from living at home or college strait to having a home WITH a husband? I lived alone for a long time and had to take care of things on my own before we married. I wonder if women who were single for a while are more attentive to these things? I could be wrong, as it is just a theory.

 

 

This gets my feathers ruffled in a big way. I argue with my mother about this all the time. It ticks me off. (I'm not ticked at you but my mother has a special talent of doing that to me).

 

Anyway, do NOT assume that because a woman doesn't know what the bills are, or how much insurance is, or what the cell phone plan is, etc. that she does NOT know HOW to do those things or understand them.

 

Just because she doesn't pay attention does not mean that she is incapable. There is a big difference.

 

If you asked me right now how much the utility bills are I couldn't tell you. If you asked me how much my car insurance is or home insurance I couldn't tell you. If you asked me what my cell phone plan is I couldn't tell you.

 

Yes, my Dh takes care of it. Why? Because he loves it. He loves doing the bills.

 

I am completely capable and intelligent enough to do it. In fact, I did do it for the first 5 years of marriage or so. Then after I had my 2nd baby I asked dh to take over because I was exhausted and too wrapped up with my young children.

 

I have no desire to get back on the wagon so to speak. Dh loves it. I'm busy with home schooling. Dh knows nothing about what I do for home schooling. It's all me. So it's nice to not have to have one more thing on my plate because dh does it.

 

I consider it one of the benefits of being married. I don't have to do everything. :001_smile: It does not mean that I can't do it. It means I choose not to.

 

If something were to happen to my dh I am able to handle the finances. Yet, so many people make the assumption that I would be clueless and hopeless when I tell them, "Gee, I have no idea how much my cell phone plan is."

 

Oh, and no I did not go straight from my parents house or college to being married. I lived on my own for awhile.

Edited July 26, 2012 by Kleine Hexe

[redsquirrel]

I don't know because I do other stuff, and I am not good at it. I lived on my own, with my own apt, until I was 30. For the first couple years dh and I were together we had separate accounts, split the utilities etc.

 

It was a couple years ago that I asked him to just take over that part of life. I couldn't do one more thing. And, it wasn't one person's job so it was sort of no one's job. Each of us waiting for the other to take the lead. He wasn't very good at it either, but being the only one responsible has made him a lot better. Yes, there have been some big mistakes, but he is really trying and it gets better all the time.

 

We talk about finances twice a month and go over amounts of bills, upcoming expenses, what needs paying etc. But he takes care of all the payments over the computer etc. He knows the company that has the car insurance etc. I know how much it is and see the bill, but I can't remember where we send it.

 

So, I did take care of it myself for many, many years (18-40) but it is his turn now.

[Soror]

We stick to a pretty detailed budget anyway, even though we have enough and we have adequate savings, etc....

 

:iagree: Worrying about those details is why we are continuing to do better and better financially besides the fact that I don't want to be wasteful with money regardless of how much we have. Dh works hard and I prefer that we keep mindful. We have much more success financially the more mindful we are.

 

I also love numbers, math makes me happy :)

[ThisIsTheDay]

Then I also have a theory and I can't prove it, but I wonder if many of these women went from living at home or college strait to having a home WITH a husband? I lived alone for a long time and had to take care of things on my own before we married. I wonder if women who were single for a while are more attentive to these things? I could be wrong, as it is just a theory.

 

 

Theory debunked here. I had been living on my own for ten years when I met dh, and I handled all of my own financial affairs for that entire time. From the time we bought a house prior to getting married, we've had a joint checking account, and he's handled virtually all of the money.

 

I know some of the things you mentioned, but not all. (Where is the car payment info? House payment? How is auto pay set up for our cell phones?) Some things I'd have to figure out--how do I manage online banking? What bills are on auto pay? What is billed in the mail? Other things I know vaguely, the amount of our utilities, our insurance companies. It's just his stuff, that's what he handles.

 

He'd be in a similar situation if anything happened to me. He knows nothing about the kids' schooling, absolutely nothing about curriculum, state law, or any aspect of it at all. I finally wrote a few things down last year, passwords, and who to contact for advice if I died suddenly.

[Kathryn]

Sometimes I wish....LOL I take care of all the financial info and it's my husband who doesn't have much of a clue.

 

:iagree: I would love to be able to have no clue and just trust it to be done.

[justamouse]

We stick to a pretty detailed budget anyway, even though we have enough and we have adequate savings, etc....

 

So do we. But we set it and then there's 52 weeks and that's that. THen we have our portfolios and insurances and then there's the company. So what I'm saying is that just because I could care less, doesn't mean we do less budgeting than you, it just means I could care less. I'm good at picking out the stocks, he's good at the bills. We do what we're good at.

[Soror]

So do we. But we set it and then there's 52 weeks and that's that. THen we have our portfolios and insurances and then there's the company. So what I'm saying is that just because I could care less, doesn't mean we do less budgeting than you, it just means I could care less. I'm good at picking out the stocks, he's good at the bills. We do what we're good at.

 

Some spouses (husband or wife) really do not have a clue what is going on though and do end up in trouble when one passes on. You do have an idea obviously! You don't have to care I don't think, we all have our areas of expertise but I think a general idea of the important things is a very prudent thing. I think it was much more common in older generations though, my mil is sure one. My fil has instructed dh about various finance items in case he passes as she has no clue what is going on with their finances.

[thefragile7393]

I had been living on my own when I met and married my ex. I was happy to hand over the bill paying stuff to him because of my burnout with my first and while living single.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Some spouses (husband or wife) really do not have a clue what is going on though and do end up in trouble when one passes on. You do have an idea obviously! You don't have to care I don't think, we all have our areas of expertise but I think a general idea of the important things is a very prudent thing. I think it was much more common in older generations though, my mil is sure one. My fil has instructed dh about various finance items in case he passes as she has no clue what is going on with their finances.

 

The only people I've met like that are my parent's age (80's and 90's in the examples I know but of course that probably varies widely). Often the wife did not learn to drive. And often the wife was not taught the basics that you would learn in business math. By the time I was in school we (boys and girls) were taught the basics of home finance as part of home economics. I would have a hard time thinking of any person age 50 or younger without a cognitive disability who couldn't pick up the basics of bills paying and banking after a couple of questions on the finer points.

[celticmom]

Sometimes I wish....LOL I take care of all the financial info and it's my husband who doesn't have much of a clue.

 

:iagree:It is the same in our household.

[Soror]

The only people I've met like that are my parent's age (80's and 90's in the examples I know but of course that probably varies widely). Often the wife did not learn to drive. And often the wife was not taught the basics that you would learn in business math. By the time I was in school we (boys and girls) were taught the basics of home finance as part of home economics. I would have a hard time thinking of any person age 50 or younger without a cognitive disability who couldn't pick up the basics of bills paying and banking after a couple of questions on the finer points.

 

I agree it is mostly older people that I know of that are entirely in the dark. I do think it is good for both spouses to be aware of the basics though, although most anyone can figure things out. What if a spouse dies and one isn't up to date on life insurance info or what bills they have? One could figure it out but it could cause a lot of heart ache and headache until they do.

[QuirkyKapers]

We sit down and do the yearly budget together and make any adjustment. DH inputs the information in the computer. I put where it should go. I know the bills we pay and the amount. However, DH generally pays them. They thing I am completely clueless about would be his investments. I know who he has stock in but the amount and all that, zip.

[Pamela H in Texas]

Hmmm, well, my hubby can't answer a LOT of questions. His answer is something like, "I don't know; I just go to work." A lot of times, that is his answer even if he does know the answer if he thinks about it. But he really doesn't know a lot of things. He completely trusts that I take care of everything so why does he need to know?

[DawnM]

You aren't who I was responding to when I said that.

 

I was responding to Suzanne who said:

 

I do think this is a big part of it. When a family has enough money in the bank to be able to pay for three home repairs than happen within two weeks (something that just happened to us ), you just don't stress over your finances or worry about the day to day details. I think it makes a world of difference in attitude.

 

My point was that we DO care about the day to day details because that is how we can actually pay for the stressers that come along.

 

 

 

 

So do we. But we set it and then there's 52 weeks and that's that. THen we have our portfolios and insurances and then there's the company. So what I'm saying is that just because I could care less, doesn't mean we do less budgeting than you, it just means I could care less. I'm good at picking out the stocks, he's good at the bills. We do what we're good at.

[Sevilla]

I keep running into women who don't know either financial information or utilities or insurance or anything.

 

Please note I don't ask financial info myself, and wouldn't, but either they are asked by other women I am with OR they offer up the info themselves.

 

Things like,

 

"I don't know who our insurance company is, my husband takes care of all that."

 

or

 

"I don't know what our cell plan covers, I just make calls, my husband takes care of all of that."

 

or

 

"I don't know how much our utilities (or other bills) are, my husband pays the bill."

 

DH and I talk about all of these things.....down to the last penny almost! AND I know all our companies and policy info. I would hate to think something happening to DH and me not knowing where that info was and how to handle my own affairs.

 

Then I also have a theory and I can't prove it, but I wonder if many of these women went from living at home or college strait to having a home WITH a husband? I lived alone for a long time and had to take care of things on my own before we married. I wonder if women who were single for a while are more attentive to these things? I could be wrong, as it is just a theory.

 

Are we odd?

My DH would say all of the above things - I asked him last year what he would do if some tragedy befell me and his response was "I know there's a file somewhere with our financial information..." :001_huh: I had to tell him where it was and he had no idea it was located in that area. All of our bills are on autopay anyway so it really would just be a matter of him learning the usernames/passwords.

 

This isn't from lack of desire to do money together - it's due to the fact that he's not a detail person and has no desire to be, and really REALLY REALLY likes that I take care of the financial details of our marriage. He's on all our properties/loans/credit cards so there's not a control-dynamic at play. Simply a matter of 'who is good with details and cares about managing them? The wife. Who is bad with details and has no desire to delve into the minutiae of finances? The husband." I offer up financial details as they come up and he doesn't really care - he takes care of plenty of other stuff and this area of our lives doesn't interest him as long as its managed well by me.

 

I went from living at home/college graduation straight to marriage and living with my husband (as did he). We get each other's input on financial decisions (giving, etc...), but he couldn't tell you our bank account balance (I doubt he could tell you the name of our bank since all our stuff is done electroncially from paycheck deposit to bill paying).

Edited July 26, 2012 by Sevilla

[angela in ohio]

Most of the families I know are the opposite. The dh has no idea.

 

My dh takes care of all the money and such, but I used to when he worked crazy hours when we were young, so I have a basic idea. We've had the same bank, insurance agent, etc. for almost two decades, so it's pretty simple. I do our taxes, though, because I used to do that professionally.

 

Honestly, I don't think it's that hard to catch up when necessary. As long as dh or dw was somewhat organized, you just pull out the last bill or statement from whatever company and figure it out. Many people do the same thing when a parent becomes ill or dies.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Honestly, I don't think it's that hard to catch up when necessary. As long as dh or dw was somewhat organized, you just pull out the last bill or statement from whatever company and figure it out. Many people do the same thing when a parent becomes ill or dies.

 

True. I've done this for both my ILs and my brother at different times.

[greenvneck]

Hmmm, well, my hubby can't answer a LOT of questions. His answer is something like, "I don't know; I just go to work." A lot of times, that is his answer even if he does know the answer if he thinks about it. But he really doesn't know a lot of things. He completely trusts that I take care of everything so why does he need to know?

 

:grouphug:

:iagree: And I don't like it. But he does NOT want to take on any of that stuff, so it's left to me. If he isn't at work he is playing with the kids. Period. I don't really *want* to play with the kids, I have enough to do with them all day long, but it sure would be nice to not have to deal with all of the household stuff as well!. :glare:

[Ibbygirl]

I keep running into women who don't know either financial information or utilities or insurance or anything.

 

Please note I don't ask financial info myself, and wouldn't, but either they are asked by other women I am with OR they offer up the info themselves.

 

Things like,

 

"I don't know who our insurance company is, my husband takes care of all that."

 

or

 

"I don't know what our cell plan covers, I just make calls, my husband takes care of all of that."

 

or

 

"I don't know how much our utilities (or other bills) are, my husband pays the bill."

 

DH and I talk about all of these things.....down to the last penny almost! AND I know all our companies and policy info. I would hate to think something happening to DH and me not knowing where that info was and how to handle my own affairs.

 

Then I also have a theory and I can't prove it, but I wonder if many of these women went from living at home or college strait to having a home WITH a husband? I lived alone for a long time and had to take care of things on my own before we married. I wonder if women who were single for a while are more attentive to these things? I could be wrong, as it is just a theory.

 

Are we odd?

 

I'm one of those women. Dh handles all of that, and I'm glad that he does because honestly I have plenty of things that I am responsible for and that is one less thing on my plate. He has shown me where he keeps all of his papers so if God forbid anything should happen to him, I know where everything is kept, but he's the one who takes care of all the bills and financial stuff.

[greenvneck]

 

Here is a funny though: we had to get a new roof a few years ago, and when it was all said and done, the roofer said that ours was the first project in which he never once had talked to the "man of the house." :0)

 

I am completely :lol: because everyone who has ever done any sort of work on our house or property would be shocked to talk to and/or see my husband. We built our house in 2000 and I would bet money that the same people we employed then, our landscaper, a/c guy, kitchen appliance guy, washer/dryer guy, etc. wouldn't even try to talk to my dh; they all already know that he doesn't have any sort of household knowledge.

 

He did have a new tree planted last month; one of ours died and we are required to have two, so before we received a fine from the city he had it taken care of. It's dying.

 

ETA: Dh also has a HUGE life insurance policy; if you asked him about it he wouldn't even know it existed, let alone the company that provides it or what the premium is. Or when it expires. Or who our insurance (home, auto, life, etc.) is covered by. Or how many bank accounts we have, how many college loans our kids have, how much those loans are, how many credit cards we have or what we owe. Must be nice.

 

ETA2: And again...the man doesn't know how much money he makes.

Edited July 27, 2012 by greenvneck

[Laura Corin]

I keep running into women who don't know either financial information or utilities or insurance or anything.

 

Husband could say that on others. I deal with insurance and most utilities. He deals with the TV and most other financials. It's just how it's developed over time - we have separate responsibilities.

 

If he died? I'd look it all up in the files. I know where all his passwords are.

 

Laura

[Oak Knoll Mom]

"I don't know how much our utilities (or other bills) are, my husband pays the bill."

 

DH and I talk about all of these things.....down to the last penny almost! AND I know all our companies and policy info. I would hate to think something happening to DH and me not knowing where that info was and how to handle my own affairs.

 

I couldn't tell you many specifics about the amounts we pay different utilities each month. However, I do know who all of our utilities, insurance, etc are with and I'm perfectly capable of doing the job if needed.

 

I lived on my own for two years between college and marriage and I took care of all the bill-paying for the first five years of our marriage.

[Melissa in Australia]

I have to be honest, I play the "you'll have to talk to my husband" card a lot when I get those annoying calls about "You should bundle your phone plan with your internet" or whatever. It's not that I don't KNOW-it's that saying "You'll have to talk to my husband" seems like a more polite brush-off. So if you were in my house and heard me take one of those calls, you'd probably assume I don't know anything.

 

.

 

I do the you have to talk to my husband thing to. My DH is a whizz at mental maths. and he enjoys running rings around the poor person on the other end of the phone.

[Melissa in Australia]

I paid all the bills for 15 years of marriage, DH does them all now. He does them because he likes paying by BPay. I hate using BPay. and preferred paying in person.

 

now if you are talking about car repairs, I leave all that for DH. I do not discuss car parts or know how that are put together. That is what DH's are for. :D:D

 

I got married at 18 straight from home.

[tex-mex]

Sometimes I wish....LOL I take care of all the financial info and it's my husband who doesn't have much of a clue.

:iagree:

 

My husband's mother was in charge of the finances also. FIL had no clue. My only worry is what hubby will do if something happens to me. He really is helpless with passwords, bills, PCs, dates, taxes, trusts/wills and administration. Eeek. :confused: And ds is looking like dh with no concern for keeping track of budget. But oddly, both dh and ds are very frugal.

 

ETA: I got married at 19. Came from a family who were poor and never saved a dime. Had to take over our finances in our first years of marriage as dh did not like administration. Found out I am quite good at budgeting over the last 25 years of marriage, tho'!

Edited July 27, 2012 by tex-mex

[tex-mex]

I agree it is mostly older people that I know of that are entirely in the dark. I do think it is good for both spouses to be aware of the basics though, although most anyone can figure things out. What if a spouse dies and one isn't up to date on life insurance info or what bills they have? One could figure it out but it could cause a lot of heart ache and headache until they do.

:iagree:

 

My MIL died last summer and it was up to me to figure all of her finances, will, and life insurance. She kept great records, but FIL was not able to take over her books. Once we left for home (out of state), he was so confused, he hired a bookkeeper/accountant. Like dh, FIL is a master whiz at cars, home repair, plumbing, electricial repairs, and more. Finances are not their thing, I guess? Which is fine by me as I have never had to deal with home repairs, lawn, weeds, projects or car maintenance in 25 years. LOL

 

I'm convinced now to prepare a (important files, passports, SSN, life insurance) file area for my family to figure out my system and avoid confusion.

Edited July 27, 2012 by tex-mex