Marriage and money

The following column was published in The News Star on Saturday, July 19, 2014.

Question: My car is embarrassing. The paint is chipping, part of my bumper is literally wired on and it blows more smoke than a train. When I talk to my husband about getting a new car, he says we can’t afford one. But that’s ridiculous…we make plenty of money. He just hates to spend it. What do I do?

Answer: The difference between affording and hoarding is usually fear. And fear usually thrives in the absence of facts.

The following column was published in The News Star on Saturday, June 28, 2014.

Question: My wife and I have struggled to be able to save money. There are just so many things that come up and we just don’t have that much money left over. How do other people do it?

Answer: One way to get the wrong answer every time is to ask the wrong question.

The following column was published in The News Star on Saturday, June 21, 2014.

Question: Finances are a very volatile subject in our home. We’ve gotten to the place that whenever the topic comes up, I can feel myself getting mad. We actually do fairly well with most of the big stuff, but some little things can just set us both off. Any suggestions?

Answer: It sounds like you are both reacting.

The following column was published in The News Star on Monday, April 21, 2014.

Question: My wife and I work together and she’s great at so many things. But when it comes to money, she can be so emotional. About everything really, not just money. How can I get her to see that?

Answer: See what? That she’s emotional?

By Byron Moore, posted April 17th, 2014

Question: Recently my wife and I have been arguing a lot about money. When I try to explain things to her, she just clams up. But honestly we are spending too much money and she has to be part of the solution. How do other people deal with their marital conflicts over money?

Answer:  Not too well, I'm afraid. Approximately half of all divorces can be traced to money problems.   

The following segment first aired on KEDM 90.3 on Wednesday, March 19, 2014.

Sometimes simple wills can create complex problems. Listen to my most recent KEDM Public Radio segment to hear how a little attention to detail now could alleviate a lot of tension in the family later.

     

By Byron Moore, posted January 23rd, 2014

Question:  My husband and I want to start a family soon. We both work now, but we would really like for me to be able to stay home when we have a family. All of our friends say it's really hard to do, but we'd really like to. What can we do? 

Answer: Well one thing's for sure - you can't be like your friends.

By Byron Moore, posted December 16th, 2013

Question:  What are you giving for Christmas this year?

Answer: Each year there's an "it" gift that everyone seems to want, yet it's often hard to find. Remember Tickle-Me Elmo?