Money Habits to Watch Out for in a Mate

Money Habits to Watch Out for in a Mate:

One of the biggest factors to accumulating money and having a life filled with my definition of wealth is your mate. A mate that has a money problem can quickly burn up all his/her and your money. Further, money issues are the number one reason for divorce. Divorce is expensive and a great way to make an enemy for life. In order of least to most egregious money habits to watch out for in a mate.

1) Unopened Bills – this person is not in control of their spending, lacks organization, or is overwhelmed in debt. If it is temporary or the bill is on auto payment it might not be too bad. You could talk to them about it. Something like, “Wow, that is a bunch of bills! I put mine on auto-payment so I do not get the junk mail? Do you want help doing that?”.  A little more structure and the problem may correct itself.

2) Owes Friends & Family Money – a warning sign a credit card might be maxed or cancelled.  Borrowing from friends and family also means he/she will have no problem dipping into your funds. Further investigation is needed, does he/she have on-going small bets that make the debt go back and forth all the time with no payoff or is it serious debt for auto repair? Major debt from friends and family means he/she did not have a safety net and may be risky with money or a spendthrift.

3) Does Not Talk About Money – may be hiding money problems, might be ashamed, might be clueless. If he/she cannot openly talk of money goals and how much they make after a couple months it might be time to bring up the conversation and make sure you are both having the same view. Do not let this pass for months and months. If they cannot talk about money and you read this blog you most likely do not want the problems or shadiness they bring to the table. Cut them loose and find another.

4) Unsteady Employment – if the cash flow is not there, you may end up being the paycheck. They may show a lack of commitment. If he/she cannot even hold down a steady job to put money on the table, how hard are they going to try to make you happy and meet your future expectations? Not very hard. Do they view jobs as there is always another one? Do they have that view of mates? Are you okay being the Sugar Daddy/Mamma?  Work ethic also plays a part, the more (or less) dedicated they are to their jobs, the more they will (or won’t) be dedicated to you and your relationship.

5) Bill Collector Calls – run, run away. Starting a relationship is hard enough without all the drama of bill collectors and suits. He/she is bringing a lot of baggage that will need to be unpacked and if you are around you will end up paying for it one way or another. You may pick up dinner more often or give up doing that trip because he/she cannot afford it. Leave unless their past flaws are worth it, and they have a solid game plan to stay out of debt.

6) Views on Money Don’t Match Your Views – the person does not value money how you do. This criterion does not mean that they have to be to the exact same view point, but rather in the same realm of thinking. This is the setup to ongoing fights about money. And possibly divorce if a long-term solution cannot be made. If your views on money don’t match up, you are not a match.

Hopefully if you pick a good mate, you will have someone to find happiness with. You will be able to save and spend on what is important to both of you. And you can trust them to operate the household budget as agreed.

What do you watch out for in your mate?

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