Stacking Pennies . . .

My boyfriend compliments me sometimes, saying that I'm good with money. He says that, but once or twice, he has added "but I'm better with it!"

I respectfully disagree with that sentiment. I'm better with money, he's just more stingy. Also, his stingyness comes primarily from the fact that he is a grad student and has a very limited disposable income. In general, he is selectively stingy. Back when he was making a reasonable income, he spent in the range of $3000 for private pilot flying lessons. So he spends less by buying cheap lunch meat and kraft singles, and I buy better stuff. I don't consider that being better with money, I consider that having more money and making choices, not being "worse" with money.

I think when we are married, we'll be able to manage our finances without too much conflict. We are both generally savers, but we are both (generally) willing to spend on certian things we value: for example, travel, occasional good meals, and wine. We should make decent money, and things should be smooth. And if they are not, we both are capable of cheap living.

I hope I get to be in charge of the budgeting and bill paying. I am a control freak and like that sort of thing, but he is a control freak as well. Of course, decision making will be together (which will be an adjustment after years of independence), but there has to be one executer.

I would like us both to be involved in our investment decisions. Since I already have a full time job and he is still in school, I'm a few years ahead of him in investment knowledge. Not that I'm an expert, but I'm at relatively comfortable with the basics. He does have a Roth IRA, but he opened it with a broker. Edward Jones, maybe? I'd need to let him know the virtues of target date funds, indexing, and low fees. Right now, he only has about 2-4k in there (I don't know the details), and I don't know the fees, so it isn't an issue. (Besides the fact we aren't even engaged!)

I think, over the next couple years (or until whenever it is we get married and what is "mine" officially becomes "ours") money might be a slight issue for us due to vast income disparity. If I want us to go out for dinner, I'm going to have to pay for it more often than not. He isn't gonig to demand to be taken out, but he doesn't have the funds to treat me too often. It is sort of something that I have accepted already over the last year and a half of me working and him being a student. It can be frusterating, especially when my my two closest friends from high school (who were students at the time) received coach purses for christmas last year from their signifcant others. I got a nice necklace, which is great, but it would be nice to be spoiled every now and then. Maybe he can spoil me in ways that don't involve spending money.

My boyfriend compliments me sometimes, saying that I'm good with money. He says that, but once or twice, he has added "but I'm better with it!"

I respectfully disagree with that sentiment. I'm better with money, he's just more stingy. Also, his stingyness comes primarily from the fact that he is a grad student and has a very limited disposable income. In general, he is selectively stingy. Back when he was making a reasonable income, he spent in the range of $3000 for private pilot flying lessons. So he spends less by buying cheap lunch meat and kraft singles, and I buy better stuff. I don't consider that being better with money, I consider that having more money and making choices, not being "worse" with money.

I think when we are married, we'll be able to manage our finances without too much conflict. We are both generally savers, but we are both (generally) willing to spend on certian things we value: for example, travel, occasional good meals, and wine. We should make decent money, and things should be smooth. And if they are not, we both are capable of cheap living.

I hope I get to be in charge of the budgeting and bill paying. I am a control freak and like that sort of thing, but he is a control freak as well. Of course, decision making will be together (which will be an adjustment after years of independence), but there has to be one executer.

I would like us both to be involved in our investment decisions. Since I already have a full time job and he is still in school, I'm a few years ahead of him in investment knowledge. Not that I'm an expert, but I'm at relatively comfortable with the basics. He does have a Roth IRA, but he opened it with a broker. Edward Jones, maybe? I'd need to let him know the virtues of target date funds, indexing, and low fees. Right now, he only has about 2-4k in there (I don't know the details), and I don't know the fees, so it isn't an issue. (Besides the fact we aren't even engaged!)

I think, over the next couple years (or until whenever it is we get married and what is "mine" officially becomes "ours") money might be a slight issue for us due to vast income disparity. If I want us to go out for dinner, I'm going to have to pay for it more often than not. He isn't gonig to demand to be taken out, but he doesn't have the funds to treat me too often. It is sort of something that I have accepted already over the last year and a half of me working and him being a student. It can be frusterating, especially when my my two closest friends from high school (who were students at the time) received coach purses for christmas last year from their signifcant others. I got a nice necklace, which is great, but it would be nice to be spoiled every now and then. Maybe he can spoil me in ways that don't involve spending money.

My boyfriend compliments me sometimes, saying that I'm good with money. He says that, but once or twice, he has added "but I'm better with it!"

I respectfully disagree with that sentiment. I'm better with money, he's just more stingy. Also, his stingyness comes primarily from the fact that he is a grad student and has a very limited disposable income. In general, he is selectively stingy. Back when he was making a reasonable income, he spent in the range of $3000 for private pilot flying lessons. So he spends less by buying cheap lunch meat and kraft singles, and I buy better stuff. I don't consider that being better with money, I consider that having more money and making choices, not being "worse" with money.

I think when we are married, we'll be able to manage our finances without too much conflict. We are both generally savers, but we are both (generally) willing to spend on certian things we value: for example, travel, occasional good meals, and wine. We should make decent money, and things should be smooth. And if they are not, we both are capable of cheap living.

I hope I get to be in charge of the budgeting and bill paying. I am a control freak and like that sort of thing, but he is a control freak as well. Of course, decision making will be together (which will be an adjustment after years of independence), but there has to be one executer.

I would like us both to be involved in our investment decisions. Since I already have a full time job and he is still in school, I'm a few years ahead of him in investment knowledge. Not that I'm an expert, but I'm at relatively comfortable with the basics. He does have a Roth IRA, but he opened it with a broker. Edward Jones, maybe? I'd need to let him know the virtues of target date funds, indexing, and low fees. Right now, he only has about 2-4k in there (I don't know the details), and I don't know the fees, so it isn't an issue. (Besides the fact we aren't even engaged!)

I think, over the next couple years (or until whenever it is we get married and what is "mine" officially becomes "ours") money might be a slight issue for us due to vast income disparity. If I want us to go out for dinner, I'm going to have to pay for it more often than not. He isn't gonig to demand to be taken out, but he doesn't have the funds to treat me too often. It is sort of something that I have accepted already over the last year and a half of me working and him being a student. It can be frusterating, especially when my my two closest friends from high school (who were students at the time) received coach purses for christmas last year from their signifcant others. I got a nice necklace, which is great, but it would be nice to be spoiled every now and then. Maybe he can spoil me in ways that don't involve spending money.

My boyfriend compliments me sometimes, saying that I'm good with money. He says that, but once or twice, he has added "but I'm better with it!"

I respectfully disagree with that sentiment. I'm better with money, he's just more stingy. Also, his stingyness comes primarily from the fact that he is a grad student and has a very limited disposable income. In general, he is selectively stingy. Back when he was making a reasonable income, he spent in the range of $3000 for private pilot flying lessons. So he spends less by buying cheap lunch meat and kraft singles, and I buy better stuff. I don't consider that being better with money, I consider that having more money and making choices, not being "worse" with money.

I think when we are married, we'll be able to manage our finances without too much conflict. We are both generally savers, but we are both (generally) willing to spend on certian things we value: for example, travel, occasional good meals, and wine. We should make decent money, and things should be smooth. And if they are not, we both are capable of cheap living.

I hope I get to be in charge of the budgeting and bill paying. I am a control freak and like that sort of thing, but he is a control freak as well. Of course, decision making will be together (which will be an adjustment after years of independence), but there has to be one executer.

I would like us both to be involved in our investment decisions. Since I already have a full time job and he is still in school, I'm a few years ahead of him in investment knowledge. Not that I'm an expert, but I'm at relatively comfortable with the basics. He does have a Roth IRA, but he opened it with a broker. Edward Jones, maybe? I'd need to let him know the virtues of target date funds, indexing, and low fees. Right now, he only has about 2-4k in there (I don't know the details), and I don't know the fees, so it isn't an issue. (Besides the fact we aren't even engaged!)

I think, over the next couple years (or until whenever it is we get married and what is "mine" officially becomes "ours") money might be a slight issue for us due to vast income disparity. If I want us to go out for dinner, I'm going to have to pay for it more often than not. He isn't gonig to demand to be taken out, but he doesn't have the funds to treat me too often. It is sort of something that I have accepted already over the last year and a half of me working and him being a student. It can be frusterating, especially when my my two closest friends from high school (who were students at the time) received coach purses for christmas last year from their signifcant others. I got a nice necklace, which is great, but it would be nice to be spoiled every now and then. Maybe he can spoil me in ways that don't involve spending money.