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When we imagine the difficulties we have to overcome in relationships, we often focus on the emotional hotspots: commitment, cheating, emotional availability, the whole nine yards. And while these issues do often come into play, there’s another major source of conflict in relationships that you may not see coming: money and finances. Up to 42% of US couples say they fight about money, and as many as 27% say these fights happen monthly or even weekly. Finances are stressful for everyone, and even more so when the economy is struggling. But they get even more stressful when you and your partner have different viewpoints or values around money: you have very different incomes, or one of you comes from wealth and one doesn’t; maybe you have extremely different spending habits or financial planning approaches. How can you build a healthy, low-conflict relationship despite these differences? Here are my recommendations.
Communicate upfront about money — and keep doing so

Talking about money can be incredibly uncomfortable in many US cultures — we even have an explicit social rule around not discussing salaries or payment. But we also know from experience that avoiding this topic can be toxic — avoiding discussing salaries can enable wage gaps, for instance. The first step in a healthy relationship with money for you and your partner is to be able to talk about it openly.
Some of the topics it might be useful to discuss: how much do you each make? How much have you historically made? What was your family’s relationship to money growing up? Did your parents feel comfortable with money, and did they have a solid financial education, or were they often winging it? What lessons, explicit or implicit, did they pass on to you both about money?

How much do you feel comfortable spending on recreational activities — eating out, travel, discretionary shopping, “little treats” — and how much do you feel compelled to save? Do you have significant debt, whether it’s student debt, credit card debt, medical, etc.? How does that debt impact your life? Are there major life goals you’re looking forward to that have a significant financial component — like saving to go back to school, in vitro fertilization, eventual immigration to another country, or major medical expenses? Is there an expectation for you to financially support other family members, now or in the future?

This can feel overwhelming, and certainly, you don’t need to run through all of these questions rapid-fire on a first date. However, on the other end of the spectrum, it’s all too easy to find yourself head over heels for someone.

Decide your boundaries around money

One of the hardest lessons to learn about relationships in general is that you can’t control what the other person does — only what you do. It may drive you crazy that your partner seems to want to order out for every meal or buy clothes and jewelry as soon as they get their paycheck each week. These things are certainly worth talking about if they point to larger issues in the relationship, but the goal should never be to convince them to change their behavior or understand that your way is right.
Instead of trying to get them to change, think about what boundaries you want to hold. Do you need to set a budget for eating out each month, and if they want to eat out past your allotted spending, they have to go by themselves or with friends? Are you excited to go on vacations, but only want to do so in cities where you have friends you can stay with? Similarly, if you make more money than your partner and feel an obligation to pay when you two go out or make plans, consider setting a monthly budget for discretionary spending you’re willing to do for both of you, and practice getting comfortable saying no when you hit it.