I was listening to class 95FM and the DJ mentioned that a study has been done recently showing that finance and social are the top 2 stressors for a marriage.

This reminded me of what happened yesterday over dinner with my relatives. One of my cousins wanted to go overseas for holiday. In the past, when I was her age (about 17), I would wonder why it was so difficult to ask for an oversea trip.

My parent always mentioned that just work hard so that I could pay for the trip myself.

Now as a husband, I understood that there is more than the working hard.

It involves financially savvy for the family.

Let’s say you bring home $2,000 per month. Your wife takes about $700 for the household expenditure including marketing, buying household items like detergents and washing powder.

You take up about $700 to pay for the utilities bill.

This will leave you another $600.

You spent another $200 on your phone bill, your wife’s phone bill and any subscribed television channels.

That will leave you another $400.

Wait a minute! No one says that you can spend them.

What about you are having a baby?

Child-care takes up $1000 a month, including transport. What about baby’s food, baby’s clothings, medical bills for baby’s check-up and so on?

This will need another $1500.

Oh, I have forgotten that you may want to hire a maid for your house. That will cost you another $500.

We haven’t mentioned the enjoyment part such as going out for a meal during the weekends, going for a family tour at the end of the year and so on.

Looks like your $2000 is not enough!!! You have your wife to support financially for the spillover of your cost.

And what if your wife is not working?

Isn’t it a stressor? I do feel stressed typing this post.

Suddenly, I remember you may have a car and it is on installments.

No wonder, being financially handicapped is one of the top 2 stressors to a marriage’s balance.

Oh my, that is why couples must also know how to manage their money.

Money management is not easy. A brief outline is being discipline to take out at least 10% of your monthly income as savings in bank, another 10% for investment.

For whatever amount you earned from your investment (real estate, securities, commodities, funds and so on), you are not to spend them but reinvest them back.

The eventual aim is to build residual income enough to cover your bring home pay from your work.

Wow, sounds like life after wedding is not easy and it involves so much more knowledge, beside making babies.

Neither is not impossible to grasp all these financial tips if you and your wife are committed to making your marriage works.

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