Advice for Couples on How to Handle Money如何管钱——给伴侣们的建议

卡拉·杜克沃特

Picking the right money-handling strategy for your family—separate finances， a joint account or something in between？—can make a big difference on how well you function and how well you get along.選择合适的家庭财务管理方式——财务分开，开设共同账户或采取介于两者之间的方式——会对家庭财务状况和两人关系产生重大影响。

What is the “right” way to manage finances with a partner or in a family？ As financial advisers， we are asked this question all the time. The answer is that there isnt just one right way—only the way that works best for your situation.

How to handle money effectively as a blended family1

Before you even consider what might be the best approach， you need to first understand each others priorities and attitudes about money. This will help you figure out how you are similar and， importantly， how you are different so that you can identify potential problems before they arise. Additionally， you may find that one approach works now， but you would like to have a different arrangement in the future—for example， if both partners are working now， you may choose one approach but would like to change tacks if one parent steps out of the workforce to focus on raising children in the future. Before you decide whether you want to keep your finances separate or combine them， you need to consider some important factors：

Run both of your credit scores

If one partner has a poor credit score， being married wont necessarily affect the other spouses score. However， if you open joint accounts or apply for credit （such as a mortgage） together， both partners credit scores may be considered， and this could make a difference on the approved loan amount or interest rate you are offered.

Check your individual credit scores and share them with each other so that you have an idea of where you stand. If one spouse has a poor credit history stemming from bankruptcy or foreclosure， the couple might not even qualify at all for a joint loan—even if the other spouse has excellent credit.

Forge an equal and clear partnership

Be clear with your expectations. Maybe that means that you agree that any purchase above a certain dollar amount needs a joint decision before the money is spent. Perhaps that means you have a monthly “The Business of Us” meeting to discuss your budget， your progress toward joint financial goals and discussions about who is responsible for handling what part of your financial responsibilities.

To combine or not： pick your best strategy

There are many factors to consider when deciding how you want to approach handling finances， but in general， there are four main ways to proceed：

Keep your finances separate. You dont have any joint accounts， and bills are split by agreed arrangement. The keys to making this approach work are that you communicate regularly and directly on how you will be splitting the bills—a 50/50 split may work when both partners have similar incomes， but a 70/30 split may make more sense if one partner makes significantly more than the other. You can also decide that the electric bill and the cable bill are about the same amount each month， so one of you pays the electric bill in full and your partner takes care of the cable bill. When you keep finances separate， you also need to decide the mechanics of how the payments are made. Do you each want to write a check/online bill pay for your portion， or does one person pay the whole amount and the other reimburses？

Joint finances. You combine all your income into a joint account and use it for all expenses， whether they are bigger bills， such as rent/mortgage， or smaller things， such as groceries， entertainment and personal expenses， including clothing and haircuts. This method makes understanding your budget easier， because you both can see where all your money is coming in and going out， but you want to make sure you have established what you each think is reasonable to avoid disagreements about money. This scenario is one where a pre-established spending limit above which discussion is required is helpful to avoid possible arguments.

Establish an “allowance”. If one of you is not earning an income （for example， a stay-at-home parent）， the main breadwinner can transfer an agreed-upon amount to the others account each week or month to cover household bill management or personal spending money. With this approach， it is important to make sure you are comfortable with this idea—the allowance isnt a gift or favor， but an understanding that raising children or caring for an aging parent is a job too， even if it is unpaid work. You should regularly discuss whether the allowance amount is enough to cover the agreed-upon expenses， as well.

Share some funds/expenses， but keep others separate. Totally separate or fully shared not feeling right for your situation？ You can do a compromise approach of “yours， mine and ours，” wherein you have a joint account to pay shared expenses but keep your own individual accounts to pay for your personal needs. This method makes it easy to budget for combined expenses while keeping some independence and privacy. You should open an account for payment of shared bills where each partner contributes a specified amount toward those expenses， and the balance goes to your separate accounts. You can decide if you are going to split the amount needed to cover the monthly joint expenses evenly or come up with a contribution amount that is proportional to your incomes.

与伴侣共同管理家庭财务的“正确”方式是什么？作为财务顾问，我们经常被问到这个问题。答案是：没有所谓的正确方法，只有最适合你的方法。

混合型家庭如何有效管理财务

在考虑最佳方法之前，首先需要了解双方的优先考虑事项和金钱观。这有助于明确彼此的相似之处，更重要的是，明确彼此的不同之处，这样才可以发现潜在问题。此外，某种方式也许现在适用，但是将来可能会做出调整。例如，如果双方现在都有工作，会选择一种财务管理方式，但是如果将来有一方退出职场，全职在家带孩子，则可能改弦更张。在决定财务分开还是合并之前，需要考虑一些重要因素。

查看双方信用分数

如果一方信用分数较低，结婚不一定会影响配偶的分数。但是，如果开设共同账户或者共同申请贷款（比如按揭），则需要考虑双方的信用分数。一方信用分数过低可能会影响获批的贷款额度或利率。

核实各自的信用分数并告知彼此，搞清所处的信用等级。如果夫妻一方由于破产或丧失抵押品赎回权有了不良信用记录，那么即使另一方信用很好，这对夫妻也可能根本无法获得联合贷款资格。

建立平等、明确的伴侣关系

明确彼此的期待。这也许意味着双方达成一致：超出一定金额的消费，需要双方共同决定。这也许意味着每月召开一次“家庭财务”例会，讨论家庭预算，了解共同财务目标进展，明确财务责任分配。

是否合并：选择最佳策略

决定如何管理财务，需要考虑许多因素，但是通常有四种主要方式：

财务分开。没有开设任何共同账户，按约定方式分摊账单。这种方法可行的关键在于，定期直接沟通账单分摊方式。如果双方收入相当，可以采用五五开的分摊比例，但是如果一方收入显著高于另一方，三七开的分摊比例更为合理。如果每月电费和有线电视费大致相同，可以商定一方全额支付电费，另一方负担有线电视费。在财务分開的情况下，还需确定付款方式。双方是希望通过支票或网上银行各自缴费，还是一方先全额垫付，另一方稍后付还？

账目合并。将所有收入合并到一个共同账户，用于所有开支，无论是大额账单（如房租或者抵押贷款），还是小额开销（如食品杂货，娱乐和包括服装、理发费用在内的个人开支）。使用这种方式更容易掌握预算状况，因为双方都能清楚地了解家庭资金的收支流向。但是要确定双方都接受的合理开销，以避免财务分歧。在这种方案中，预先设定支出限额（超出限额，需要协商）有助于避免可能出现的争论。

商定“生活费”。如果一方没有收入（例如全职父母），挣钱养家的一方按月或者按周将商定的金额转到对方账户，用以支付家庭账单或个人开销。对于这种方式，重要的是确保双方能坦然接受以下观点：即生活费不是赠予或恩惠，而是表示认同养育子女或照顾年迈的父母也是工作，即使这是一份无偿的工作。此外，还应定期讨论生活费是否满足商定的开销。

共用部分资金或者分担部分开支，其他方面则分开管理。财务完全分开或全部共同分担不适合你们的情况？那么可以采取“你的、我的和我们的”这一折衷的方法：使用共同账户支付共同开销，同时保留个人账户用以支付个人花销。这种方法易于为共同开支制定预算，同时保持一定的独立性和私密性。开设一个账户，用于支付共同账单。双方分别向此账户存入特定金额，用于共同开销，余额存入个人账户。你们还可以商定，是打算均摊每月共同开销，还是按照收入确定出资比例。

（译者为“《英语世界》杯”翻译大赛获奖选手;单位：南京师范大学中北学院）