Imagine you are slaving away at your “9-to-5 job,” which has actually become a “7-to-8” job as you struggle to connect the financial dots for your family. Meanwhile, your spouse is at home, jobless and perhaps even suffering from a drug problem or psychological issues. The financial reality of this situation is a very difficult one to be in. For many marriages, it’s too much to bear and ultimately results in divorce.
The above is just one example of the many kinds of financial conflicts that two spouses can face. Here are three more:
One spouse is unemployed
Regardless of the reasons and/or excuses for unemployment, when only one spouse is earning money to pay the bills, the earning spouse can feel resentful with time. It’s important for both spouses to contribute to the marriage equally, or the other spouse could eventually feel like it’s time to drop the “dead weight.”
Different spending habits
It’s all well and good if both spouses enjoy a little bit of “retail therapy” from time to time. However, if one spouse is a conservative budget-maker and saver and the other spouse is a reckless spender, this can create serious conflicts and a source of constant arguments.
Not having enough money to go around
Not having enough money is another situation that causes great marital strain and it doesn’t matter how it happens. Being under the constant stress and threat of not being able to make financial ends meet can cause arguments and conflict about other seemingly meaningless topics, and it can bring a marriage to the breaking point.
Is your marriage ending for financial reasons? Financial disagreements and money problems have driven countless spouses to divorce. What’s important to remember is to divorce respectfully and responsibly — and handle your asset division process carefully — to prevent your divorce process from adding to your financial burdens.
