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All couples hope for a “happily ever after,” but it’s no secret that money issues can be primary reasons partners split up or divorce. To avoid future battles over finances, it’s smart to put all your cards—credit and otherwise—on the table. Of course, a conversation about salaries and student debt is probably premature on a first date. But once you decide to enter a long-term relationship, be sure that you and your partner are on the same page about handling current and future expenses. Even if you’re married, it’s never too late to talk about where you stand and where you’re headed financially.

Set yourself up for that happily ever after by having these important financial conversations.

1) What Do Each of You Bring to the Table?
It’s a good start to be honest about liabilities, such as student loans, credit card debt, medical expenses, and other financial obligations, as well as assets, such as salary and investments. Knowing these figures will help you plan for the future and understand how you’ll need to budget. It may also give you a bit of a reality check. Once you combine finances, your goals will be mutual—perhaps owning a house, paying off debt, starting a family, saving for retirement—and you’ll need to work together toward them.

Lying to your partner about money, or hiding debt or separate accounts, is often referred to as financial infidelity. This term alone gives you a sense of the trouble it can cause in a relationship and why it’s ideal to be honest about finances from the start.

2) What Are Your Credit Scores?
Your credit scores will factor into your ability to buy a car or house—or even rent an apartment. Since these events will inevitably happen during a long-term relationship, revealing your scores early will help you determine whether you’re in good standing as a couple or if you’ll need to improve your scores before attempting a big purchase. You can start by getting a credit report from Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion (you’re entitled to one free report from each company per year). Go to AnnualCreditReport.com to get started. Need help getting your score up? Check out Credit Karma or NerdWallet for tips.

3) How Will You Split Expenses?
Drawing up a monthly budget is a huge step toward the goal of financial stability. Consider how much income you are bringing in, what your regular costs will be, and whether you will pay them from a joint account or split them up. There are many budgeting apps you can use to help you set up a plan and stick to it. You’ll also want to have an emergency fund, which should cover three to six months of expenses. If you don’t have enough to set those funds aside, factor a monthly contribution to your emergency fund into your budget plan.

4) What Is Your Risk Tolerance?
Whether you’re a risk taker or have a more conservative approach, it helps to agree with your partner when it comes to investing as a couple. Risk tolerance also comes into play regarding debt or divorce. Although signing a prenuptial agreement is often associated with protecting your assets in case of a separation, it can also protect one partner from another’s debts—either personal or business related. Having a conversation about the value of such a document could help prevent problems in the future.

5) Will You Have Kids?
According to the Brookings Institute, the average cost of raising a child born in 2015 through the age of 17 is $310,605. Needless to say, having a child—and certainly having multiple children—would be a major expense. Childcare (or living on one income if a parent is caring for the child) is another big cost to consider. Hospital expenses are often high before your child even arrives. In addition, adoption, IVF, surrogacy, and egg freezing and storage can be expensive, should you go through any of those processes.

6) What Are Your Plans for Retirement?
Once you’ve had these important financial conversations, you’ll be on track to eventually head into your golden years and retire together. You should start planning for that as soon as possible. The earlier you set up a retirement plan and start accumulating savings, the less you’ll need to contribute on a regular basis. If your employer offers a 401(k) or another plan, decide if you can afford to start contributing now. If they offer to match a percentage of your contribution, that’s even more incentive to enroll.

Discuss your retirement plans with your partner. At what age do you hope to retire? How much savings will you realistically need to support yourselves from that retirement age through the rest of your lives? Do you plan to travel? Relocate? Talking through these answers will help determine how much you need to save together to retire comfortably.

Although this isn’t the most romantic list, a solid financial foundation is a critical aspect of a long-lasting partnership. If you need additional information about any of these discussion topics, please reach out to our office.

This material has been provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute either tax or legal advice. Although we go to great lengths to make sure our information is accurate and useful, we recommend you consult a tax preparer, professional tax advisor, or lawyer.

© 2023 Commonwealth Financial Network^®

Sarah Ruef-Lindquist, JD, CTFA

By Sarah Ruef-Lindquist
For Pen Bay Pilot 

Recently we shared information about the increase in the age for the Required Beginning Date (RBD) for taxpayers to begin taking annual Required Minimum Distributions (RMD’s) from retirement assets like Individual Retirement Accounts (IRA’s). This was a key part of SECURE 2.0 and there are several more provisions that impact taxpayers that are working or retired. To recap, the RBD age for those born in the years including 1951 through 1959, is 73 and for those born in 1960 or later, the age is 75. This is potentially a greater period of time for these assets to grow tax-free until withdrawals must begin and income tax paid on those withdrawals.

For those who fail to take their RMD, there has historically been a penalty of 50% of the amount required to be taken but not distributed. This was a significant incentive for people to be sure to take the full amount of their RMD. SECURE 2.0 reduced the penalty to 25% and for those able to correct the underpayment “in a timely manner” the penalty is 10%.

The law also expanded the opportunity to put funds into retirement accounts on a pre-tax basis.  For taxpayers aged 50 or older, the IRA “catch up” contribution of $1,000 (on top of the contribution limit of $6,500) will be adjusted annually for inflation starting in 2024.

Beginning in 2025, retirement plan participants (401(k) and 403(b) plans, for example) age 60-63 will have a catch-up limit of up to $10,000 or 50% of the regular catch-up limit (currently $7,500) whichever is greater. The 2023 contribution limit for these plans is $22,500.

Currently those participants aged 50 or older have a catch-up limit of $7,500 ($3,500 for SIMPLE IRA’s). In 2023 the SIMPLE Contribution limit is $15,500 and catch-up amount for those 50 and over is $3,500.

All of these provisions offer a greater opportunity for taxpayers to save more with pre-tax earnings toward their retirements. Many more provisions of the SECURE 2.0 Act involve new rules for qualified plans and their administration. If you are an employer with a plan, your plan administrators should be able to update you on the provisions that impact your plan and employees.

Taxpayers should consult with their own tax advisors to understand the impact of these provisions on their particular financial situation.