Robert Brokamp

I'll add to something that you hinted at earlier in that I think doing the manifesto early in our marriage was important because it set the ground rules early and we've mostly stuck to it, which has led to a lot of trust so that, you know, 26 years later, we don't have to be quite so vigilant about things.

And also point out that we've never been perfect with our money.

And there were times that we didn't do everything that we laid out in our agreement.

And I think that's to be expected.

So any couples out there who spend some time creating their own agreement, but then something goes awry or you or your partner don't stick to the agreement 100% of the time,

That's fine.

It's never going to be perfect.

But the process of creating your own manifesto and then occasionally revisiting it will do all kinds of good things.

Gets you talking about money, figuring out what you agree on, identifying potential problems, and then hopefully talking through solutions and compromises and ideally setting your family up for a better financial future.

Well, Elizabeth, this was fun.

Thanks for joining me and happy Valentine's Day.

It's time to get it done, fools.

And last week, my colleague, Stephanie Marini, joined me to discuss how you can calculate and automate the amounts you need to pay off your debts, build a safety net, and save enough to accomplish your financial goals.

And you just heard me and my wife discuss how we've managed money as a couple.

Now, I'd love to hear from you.

What have you done to make sure your finances are on track?

And how have you and your partner found money harmony?

Send your tips, tricks, and recommendations to podcasts at fool.com, and I'll share a few in the next episode.

Again, that's podcasts at fool.com.

Also, in case you want to read the article my wife and I wrote way back when, it's still on the web.