6 Financial Topics That Can Make Others Feel Uncomfortable — and How To Approach Them

If you have been dating someone special for a while and can see a future with this person, including potentially getting married, buying a house and raising a family together, it’s a good idea to plan for how you will talk about your salary, debt and investments.

Lacy Garcia, founder and CEO of Willow, recommends approaching the discussion by planning a financial date. Set it at a neutral time in a space where you can be alone together. Allow time for both reaction and discussion covering each other’s credit scores, income, debts and investments. You may use this time to decide if and how to split bank accounts and expenses. 

If it sounds like a lot of information to disclose, it is. And it’s okay to feel a little scared about revealing so much intimate information about your finances. However, if you hide any financial issues you have from someone you love, you are much more likely to end up hurt.

Garcia said you can make it less uncomfortable by making the financial date about how much you see a future with this person. A good opening line to start the discussion is to say, “I want us to have a financial date to talk about finances, because I see us together for a long time, and know being aligned on our finances is key to a successful partnership.”